That's when the crowd goes wild
by smile1
Summary: RJ! DONE! A cute story about a shy tomboy who's passion lies with grades, coffee, basketball and the new boy in town! What happens when they meet each other on the basketball court ? Will they make the crowd go wild ? PLZ REVIEW! ENJOY! :-)
1. A butterfly spreads its wings

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
A/N: A new Lit! :-) I have waited for almost one week to put up the first chapter of this story! So, I really hope you guys like it. Believe it or not, my inspiration for this story was a basketball game. Oh yeah, I also changed my writing style a little. I nixed the R: etc. Thanks, for just reading this. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The sun stood high in the horizon, throwing its rays down on the small town underneath it. But two girls were too involved in their usual chitchat to notice the beauty of this particular day. They had just finished another day of Stars Hollow High and were walking the familiar path to the Gilmore residence. The Korean one of them, Lane, was, as usual, doing most of the talking. She was wearing a plain pair of jeans and a simple denim jacket, but if you looked closer, you would see how colorful and vivid she really was. Underneath her denim jacket she wore a t-shirt with every imaginable color sprayed on it and her arms were decorated with neon colored bracelets. The girl beside her, Rory Gilmore, didn't care much for clothes or colorful bracelets. Her attire consisted of a pair of baggy pants, a black Nike shirt, her favorite pair of sneakers and a black baseball cap. A shy tomboy, who's main concern was passing for a test and getting her usual dose of coffee every day. Though it wouldn't seem that way just by looking at them, those two were the best of friends.  
  
''So, he's not Korean and all, but he is cute.''  
  
Rory smiled. She was amazed of how many crushes Lane had every year. They used to keep a notebook, with all the names of Lane's crushes in it. But eventually the entrees stopped. They just couldn't keep up with Lane's weekly 'choices.' Lane had the tendency to change her mind faster than she could put on one of her bracelets.  
  
''What's the victim's name ?''  
  
A content smile appeared on Lane's face, ''Joshua.''  
  
''Joshua.,'' Rory repeated as she glanced at Lane.  
  
''Yeah, don't you think that's a cute name ?''  
  
Rory didn't even bother to answer that, Lane wouldn't give her the chance to answer anyway.  
  
''I think it's a cute name. It really suits him. I mean, you should see him. Everything about him is cute. He has a cute smile and he has a cute walk,'' Lane rambled on excited about her newest eye catcher.  
  
Rory smiled. ''A cute walk ?''  
  
''Yeah, he always walks with a smile on his face. And since his smile is cute, his walk is cute too,'' Lane said in a matter-a-fact tone.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes this time. Lane could always find something cute about anyone. And once she found something cute, everything else turned cute too. At least she didn't use the word hot, cause the day Lane would say that, there friendship would be over.  
  
''Do you think he would like me ?''  
  
''Of course he will,'' Rory said, reasurring her friend.  
  
''I don't know. All the popular girls like him and............''  
  
Rory blocked the rest of the sentence out. She already knew what would follow anyway. They had the same conversation every week. They past Luke's and just like always, Rory turned her head to look through one of the large windows. The usual late lunch/early diner crowd was there, but there was a new face among them. Rory stopped walking and pulled on Lane's sleeve. ''Do you know who that is ?''  
  
Lane followed Rory's gaze and shook her head. ''I would like to get to know him though. He's cute, just look at his hair.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and gently pushed Lane. ''You think everyone's cute.''  
  
''The side affect of living an overprotected life.''  
  
Rory laughed and followed Lane, but not before shooting the new resident one more look.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''Mom ! We're............''  
  
''..........in tha house !'' Lane cut in.  
  
''In here !'' Lorelai announced from the kitchen.  
  
Rory closed the door and started to follow Lane to the kitchen. ''Since when do you kidnap my sentences ?''  
  
''Since you start sentences where I can cut in with in tha house !'' Lane emphasized the last three words.  
  
''I heard you the first time.''  
  
''I was just checking.''  
  
Once the reached the kitchen, they found Lorelai sitting at the kitchen table, which was covered with several different menus.  
  
Rory looked at the scattered menus and raised her eyebrows. ''What are you doing ?''  
  
''I can't decide from which one to order,'' Lorelai answered, her eyes never once leaving the menu she was holding.  
  
''Mom, all the menus are for Chinese food,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''It's important to choose your Chinese menu carefully, cause once you have chosen one there's no way back,'' Lorelai said in a dramatic voice.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. ''Very dramatic.''  
  
''You could always order from another menu next time if you don't like the food.''  
  
Lorelai shook her head. ''We never order the same food twice in a row.''  
  
''We like to have a varied and well balanced diet,'' Rory added.  
  
Lane nodded. ''I wish my mom would keep that in mind. All we eat is tofu.''  
  
''How was school ?'' Lorelai asked as she picked up another menu.  
  
''Informative.''  
  
Lane shot Rory a disbelieving look before she said, ''Boring.''  
  
''Lane has a new love interest.''  
  
Lorelai, who seemed interested in Rory's comment, finally looked up at them. ''Who is he ?''  
  
''His name is Joshua and he's................,''Lane started, but was interrupted by Rory. ''Cute.''  
  
''They always are,'' Lorelai agreed returning her gaze to the menus.  
  
Lane got a sad expression on her face. ''But I already know that he doesn't like me, cause I'm not popular or anything.''  
  
''That's not true !'' Rory said, trying to make Lane feel less insecure about herself.  
  
''We could always give you a make over,'' Lorelai chipped in.  
  
Lane shook her head. ''My mom would probably notice.''  
  
''We could give you a subtle make over. Change your lip gloss from cherry to strawberry,'' Lorelai tried again.  
  
''She would notice that too. My mom has an eye for detail. Especially for make-up. Since it's from the devil and all.''  
  
Lorelai gave Lane a sympathetic look before she shifted her gaze to Rory. ''I wish I could use my eye for detail on my daughter.''  
  
Rory stuck out her tongue and Lorelai went back to her menus. Rory glanced at her best friend, who seemed depressed by her own words. Rory put her arm around her shoulders and smiled. ''He seriously needs glasses if he doesn't like you.''  
  
''Eureka !'' Lorelai practically jumped out of her chair and grabbed one of the menus from the table. She took the phone out of a big, red coffee cup, that they conveniently used as a cradle and started to dial a number while she looked at Lane.  
  
''Are you staying for dinner ?''  
  
Lane shook her head. ''Mom's preparing a special dinner tonight. All tofu and no meat.''  
  
''Yum,'' Rory said with a fake smile on her face.  
  
''Your loss.'' Lorelai went to order the pizza, while Rory walked Lane to the door.  
  
''Don't forget to ask your mom about the new guy at the diner. She practically lives there so she's bound to know how he is.''  
  
''Yeah, we're thinking of moving there.''  
  
''Free coffee,'' Lane said, knowing how obsessed both Rory and Lorelai were about coffee.  
  
''Yeah, lots of read meat though.''  
  
Lane made a face. ''Bye.''  
  
''Bye.'' Rory closed the door and headed back into the kitchen. Her mom was just putting the phone back in the coffee cup. ''So, coffee ?''  
  
Rory nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. ''I saw a new guy at Luke's. Do you know who he is ?''  
  
''What does he look like ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''Like a guy.''  
  
''Be more specific,'' Lorelai said as she grabbed two coffee cups.  
  
''Dark hair and.......I don't really know. He was the only guy my age in there.''  
  
''Must have been Luke's nephew, Jess. He just moved here from New York. It was kind of sudden, cause his mom just shipped him off to Luke without a real good reason.''  
  
Lorelai took the cups and handed Rory one. She took a sip and made a face. ''This tastes like strawberry.''  
  
Lorelai smiled. ''I know.''  
  
Rory shook her head and got up. ''I'm not even going to ask.''  
  
She turned around and headed for her room as she took another sip of her strawberry flavored coffee.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After dinner, Rory and Lorelai started to put the leftovers in the fridge. Rory put another one of the boxes in their small fridge. ''Did it ever occur to you that maybe, we should throw some of the other leftovers out ?''  
  
Lorelai pretended to be shocked. ''We can't. Our fridge would look empty without them.''  
  
Rory nodded in agreement and put the last two boxes in the fridge. When she turned around Lorelai was putting on her jacket.  
  
''I'm going to Luke's for coffee. Are you coming ? Maybe we could convince him to start putting fruit in his coffee too.''  
  
''I'll meet you there. I wanna go over to the basketball court first.''  
  
Lorelai nodded and started to head for the door. ''Have fun sweets.''  
  
Lorelai left and Rory headed for her room. She put on her fave zip up hoodie, got her basketball and left the house. As she started to walk towards the court, she dribbled the ball. She remembered when she fell in love with basketball. She was seven and it was during one of her gym classes. Her teacher had introduced her to this game. Ever since that day, she had been hooked. She had begged her mom to buy her a ball and her mom did, believing that it was just one of Rory's phases. But her passion for basketball just grew with her. By now her mom had accepted the fact that she was a tomboy. She liked baggy clothes, baseball caps and playing ball. Maybe that was why she had a hard time becoming friends with girls.  
  
Lane, of course, was an exception. She cared about clothes, but wasn't artificial. She occasionally even played basketball with Rory and she also had her own style of dressing, not mimicking others. The only thing she sometimes envied about Lane, was her obsession with boys. Every week she would have another crush. Rory on the other hand could care less and maybe that was her problem. She never spend too much time thinking about it though. After all, her time would come. But sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if there was even someone out there for her.  
  
As soon as she reached the court, she started to shoot, trying to forget about everything for a short while. Every time she threw the ball it was nothing but net. The outcome of years of practice. She threw the ball once more, missing, cause she wasn't really paying attention. She heard footsteps approaching the court. She turned around and immediately her eyes found the intruder of her silence. It was Jess. He was standing at the edge of the court, looking at her with his hands in his pockets. His dark piercing eyes were fixed on her. It made her feel uncomfortable, cause she wasn't used having people's eyes on her. Everywhere she went, she was never the center of attention. Finally she decided to break the glass thin silence between them, shattering it with her voice.  
  
''Hey.''  
  
Jess just nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. Rory shuddered and zipped up her hoodie a little further. Not aware of his studying gaze, that had followed her every movement.  
  
''You're Jess right ? Luke's nephew ?''  
  
He nodded again and removed his hands from his pockets. Rory dropped her eyes to his rough hands, trying to memorize every single line and imperfection. The first thing that caught her eye were all the silver rings he was wearing. He had one on almost every finger. She looked at her own hands and brought her gaze up to meet his, subconsciously rubbing her only piece of jewelry with her index finger. Realizing that he wasn't going to talk, she let out a nervous sigh. She shot him one more look, before she turned around and started to head for her basketball, that lay forgotten on the other end of the court.  
  
Jess watched her as she walked across the court, with her sleeves pulled over her hands. She walked with soft and careful steps. He let his eyes roam over the rest of her body. Her figure was completely hidden beneath those baggy clothes of hers. The only bare skin he saw, was when she bend over to pick up the ball. But when she turned around and briefly met his eyes, he felt guilty. Her eyes seemed so kind and trusting. He immediately focused his eyes on her modestly beautiful face. She stopped a couple of feet in front of him, her eyes breaking contact every now and then as if she was nervous.  
  
''So, do you play ?'' Rory asked while keeping her eyes on him.  
  
He nodded and saw how her eyes got a slight satisfying gleam. She lowered her gaze to her watch and looked at him again.  
  
''I would really like to stay here and keep count of your nodding speed, but I have to go meet my mom.''  
  
She started to walk away from him, but Jess wasn't quite ready to let her go just yet. ''Nodding speed ?''  
  
Rory smiled. It was the first time she heard him talk and his voice sounded gentle and so sure of every word he said. She turned around and looked at him.  
  
''It was nice to meet you........Jess. See you around.''  
  
Jess kept his eyes on her as she slowly disappeared out of his sight. He distinctively kept his eyes on the back of her head, not letting them drop, not even for a second.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory entered Luke's and scanned the place for her mom  
  
''You're late,' Lorelai said, as soon as Rory dropped in the chair across from her.  
  
''Technically I'm not, cause we never agreed on a time.''  
  
Lorelai shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. ''Did you have fun ?''  
  
''Yeah, Luke's nephew was there.''  
  
''Ah........'' Lorelai took another sip of her coffee before she continued. ''.......he's not the most talkative person around here, is he ?''  
  
Rory smiled and shook her head. ''No, he's not.''  
  
''It's probably the environment, I mean Stars Hollow is a big change. You want some coffee ?''  
  
Rory softly laughed and nodded. Her mom could always switch subjects as fast as the seconds ticked by. She said that Friday night dinners did that to you. Lorelai put her hand in the air and snapped her fingers.  
  
''Yo Luke! Coffee over here-o!''  
  
Luke just ignored her and Lorelai sighed. ''Looks like I'm going to have to do it the old fashion way. Let's see if my legs still work.''  
  
Lorelai got up and headed for the diner. Rory shook her head and rested her back against the chair. Just then the door opened and Jess entered the diner. Rory looked up and they briefly met each others eyes. Rory got this weird sensation in her stomach and quickly looked away. When the feeling started to fade, she looked up again. Only to find that his penetrating gaze was still on her. Rory quickly pulled the cap of her hat over her eyes, hiding her colored cheeks from him. Her stomach started to tingle again and soon the sensation returned. It was as if the butterflies had finally emerged from their cocoons and had finally gotten the chance to stretch out their beautiful wings. But Rory had a feeling that they were only there to torture her.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Thanks again for reading this. I really appreciate it. I would really like your opinion ? I have the main plot idea in my head, but the blanks are still being filled in. I'm also working on the originality of the story, so don't worry. I will continue this, but if you guys really hate it.....tell me so I can get rid of it. *Chapter 2 of my Trory is also up!* Thanks for everything! :-) 


	2. I can hold my own

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! I can't believe the amount of reviews I got! I swear I'm not saying this to flaunt them or anything, I'm just surprised. I mean, I haven't written Lit's for a while and I wasn't expecting the response that I got. It's a great feeling and I wanted to thank you guys! :-) I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The diner was bathing in the serenity of the early morning. The rays of the sun were shining through the windows, making the floor and tables shine. The only two people in the diner were Luke and his nephew, Jess. A silence lingered between them like an almost unnoticeable breeze. But when the door of the diner flew open and announced the presence of the two Gilmore Girls, the silence disappeared through that same door.  
  
''Beautiful morning, isn't it ?'' Lorelai asked before she stepped in to the diner.  
  
''You know what would make this morning even better ? Coffee !'' Lorelai yelled as she started to head for the counter.  
  
Rory came in to the diner, dribbling her ball, deep in thought.  
  
Lorelai sat down on one of the stools. ''See, I got a new alarm clock that sounds like a rooster, so when it went off this morning, I thought it was coming from outside and ignored it. So, coffee would be really appreciated right now.''  
  
Luke shook his head, grabbed a cup and mumbled something that sounded like, good morning to you too, before he started to pour her some coffee. Lorelai looked at Rory and asked, ''What do you want sweets ?''  
  
''Coffee and a donut please.''  
  
Luke put the coffee down in front of Lorelai and looked at Rory. ''Does this look like a basketball court to you ?''  
  
Rory caught the ball in mid air. ''Sorry.''  
  
She walked towards the counter, spinning the ball in her hands.  
  
Jess was leaning against the counter, drinking a soda. He wondered if this was just another morning in Stars Hollow. Instead of cabs honking at each other to hurry up, they had a overly cheerful woman who yelled for coffee every morning. Jess took another sip of his soda as she shifted his gaze to Rory. He watched her as she sat down on one of the stools and quickly tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears. As she removed her hand from the side of her face, they met each other's gaze.  
  
''Hi,'' she whispered.  
  
He nodded at her.  
  
Rory looked away just as Luke put a cup of coffee down in front of her.  
  
''Thanks Luke.'' She reached for the coffee and took a sip. She looked at her mom as she dipped a piece of her donut in her coffee.  
  
''Now that's what I call a slam dunk,'' Lorelai said, before putting the piece of donut in her mouth.  
  
Rory smiled and took another sip of her coffee as she glanced at the clock above the counter. She put her coffee down and got up.  
  
''I have to go to school. Luke, can you store my basketball here until after school ?''  
  
Luke nodded and she handed him the ball. He turned around and put the ball underneath the counter.  
  
''Rory, is it okay if Jess tags along ? It's his first day and...........''  
  
''Sure,'' Rory interrupted him.  
  
''I can't go,'' Jess said. ''I feel sick. It must be a fever or something. I better go lie down.''  
  
He started to head for the stairs, but Luke stopped him. ''Jess.....''  
  
Jess turned around in one swift movement, scooped up his backpack and headed for the door. He patiently waited for Rory as she kissed her mom goodbye and got her bag.  
  
''Bye,'' Rory said, as she picked up her coffee and donut and headed for the door.  
  
Jess opened the door for her.  
  
''Thanks,'' Rory mumbled, surprised by his gesture.  
  
Jess nodded at her, amused by her reaction to his simple gesticulation. He closed the door behind him and followed her with his hands in his pockets. They walked in silence, until someone yelled Rory's name.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory said, as Lane joined them.  
  
''Hey.'' Lane took off her denim jacket and revealed a tight black shirt with glitters on it. She took the donut from Rory and took a bite.  
  
''Thanks...........This tastes so good. You don't know how long I have waited for the simple taste of sugar.''  
  
''I'm guessing that the tofu was that bad ?''  
  
''Horrible. I mean, I like tofu, but not every day. Besides...........'' Lane stopped talking when she noticed Jess.  
  
Rory held back a smile. ''Lane this is Jess. He'll be going to Stars Hollow High with us.''  
  
Lane exchanged looks with Rory. ''Hey.''  
  
Jess nodded. ''Hey.''  
  
Lane quickly finished her donut and turned around so she was facing Rory.  
  
''How do I look ?''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. ''I think you should ask Joshua that.''  
  
''I'm going to take that as a compliment. I'll see you guys later.''  
  
Rory drank her coffee as Lane ran off in search of Joshua. Jess watched Rory intensely as she drank her coffee. The way she let her lips linger on the edge of her cup before she actually took a sip. For some reason he found that simple gesture very sensual. But then again, he always could find something beautiful or sensual about any girl. It were always the little things that he found sensual though. The way a girl could flick her hair, the way her mouth could curve into a smile that suited their mood. Jess followed her up the few steps that would lead them to the entrance. A group of guys were standing near the entrance, leaning against the walls. As soon as they saw Rory, they stopped talking and just stared at her. Rory ignored them and brushed past them, but right before she entered the building one of their comments had already reached her.  
  
''I wouldn't mind playing some one on one with you.''  
  
The guys started to laugh, causing Rory to feel embarrassed and angry at the same time. She lowered her head and quickly slipped inside the building. Once again she was reminded why she never went on a date with a guy before. They all seemed to be jerks, who had no respect whatsoever for her or any girl for that matter. In the beginning they weren't that bad. She had even played basketball with a few of them, but they always thought that there was something more to it than just playing basketball. After that they started focusing all their attention on her, just because they knew it would bother her since she didn't like attention.  
  
Jess glanced at her. ''They're just jealous, cause you're better at basketball than any of them..''  
  
Rory smiled as she brought her lips to the cup again. She was smiling at Jess's attempt to make her feel better and at the fact that she, indeed, was better at basketball than any of the guys here. She finished her coffee and threw it away.  
  
''Come on, I'll take you to the Headmaster's office.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
After her last class, Rory hurried towards her locker. She was glad that it was Friday and she didn't want to spend any more time here than was necessary. She didn't pay any attention to the group of girls that was standing near her locker and started to put the books that she needed in her bag. She tried to block out the conversation, but for one particular reason she couldn't, or better yet, didn't want to. She had heard one of the girls mention Jess' name. Rory pretended to be looking for a book while she listened to the conversation.  
  
''I know, he is so cute.''  
  
''Cute ? I was going more for hot. I mean, did you see his body.''  
  
''And his eyes.........''  
  
''I know, they totally have an I'm-undressing-you-with-my-eyes-vibe to it.''  
  
''I wouldn't mind him looking at me like that.''  
  
The girls started to giggle and Rory rolled her eyes. She was always amazed of how much they could assume of a person when they didn't even know that person. Rory slammed her locker shut and turner around only to find the group of girls staring at her. They whispered something to each other, before they turned around and walked away laughing. Rory lowered her eyes to her bag, that was still lying on the floor. She sighed and picked it up. When she looked up again, she found Jess leaning against a locker across from her. His eyes were intensely fixed on hers and he didn't move. All he did was follow her with his eyes, like paintings sometimes seemed to do. She started to feel uncomfortable under the weight of his eyes and lowered her eyes. She adjusted the strap of her bag and looked at him again. He was still looking at her. Now, she wasn't one to judge people by their appearance or actions, but if he had thrown a remark at her similar to the one the guy made earlier, she would have put him in the category jerks. Rory turned around and headed for the doors, not saying anything.  
  
*~*~*  
  
She went straight to the Inn where her mom worked. She went up the three or four steps, entered the lobby and headed towards the counter.  
  
''Hey Michell, is my mom here ?''  
  
Michell looked up from the magazine he was reading.  
  
''Since she works here, I would say.........yes, she's here.''  
  
Rory tried not to smile and tried again. ''Michell, do you know where my mom is ?''  
  
''Why of course,'' Michell said. ''She's around here somewhere.''  
  
Rory sighed and was just about to try again when she heard her mom's voice behind her.  
  
''Is that my angel ?!'' Lorelai yelled, as she came down the stairs.  
  
Rory turned around and smiled at her mom.  
  
''Hey mom.'' She gave her mom a quick kiss when she reached the counter.  
  
''How was school ?'' Lorelai asked, as she joined Michell behind the counter.  
  
''How cozy,'' Michell said, not removing his eyes from his magazine.  
  
Rory ignored Michell's comment. ''Guys suck.''  
  
''What happened sweets ?''  
  
''The usual. I was just minding my own business and there they were again, being jerks.''  
  
''Let's go over the details again shall we ? Guys are jerks and they suck, got it.''  
  
''Mom.......''  
  
''Excuse me,'' Michell said.  
  
''They just can't handle a girl like you,'' Lorelai said, ignoring Michell.  
  
''A girl like me ?'' Rory asked.  
  
Michell interrupted again. ''I'm still here.''  
  
''Yeah, a strong and independent girl like you.''  
  
''Goodbye,'' Michell said and walked away.  
  
Rory smiled. ''Ignoring him always works.''  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''Yeah, besides half the time I don't even hear what he says, cause I have the tendency to block his voice out after the first word. How was Jess' first day ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''Okay, I guess. I don't have a lot of classes with him. The girls seem to like him though. I overheard a couple of them talking about Jess. It was hard to understand them, cause of all the drool that was running down the corners of their mouth.''  
  
''Thanks for the very descriptive image,'' Lorelai said. ''Obviously they think he's dreamy.''  
  
''Yeah,'' Rory said. ''Dreamy in a nightmare kind of way.''  
  
''I'm assuming you don't like Jess ?'' Lorelai asked.  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I don't know him. I mean, sometimes he's nice, but other times he's.......creepy.''  
  
Lorelai raised an eyebrow. ''Creepy ?''  
  
''Never mind,'' Rory said. ''Is it okay if I make my homework in the lobby ?''  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''I'll try to finish everything here as soon as possible, so we can get out of here.''  
  
''Are you sure about that ?''  
  
''Yeah, why ?'' Lorelai asked.  
  
''No reason. I'm sure grandma will appreciate us being early for once.''  
  
Rory grabbed her bag and headed for one of the chairs. Lorelai grimaced and headed for the stairs.  
  
''Where are you going ?'' Rory asked as she dropped herself in the chair.  
  
''I'm going to send everyone home.''  
  
''Why ?''  
  
''So, I have more work to do !'' Lorelai yelled as she hurried up the stairs.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''That's another freaky experience we can scrap from our list,'' Lorelai said as she closed the door behind her.  
  
''We have a list ?'' Rory asked as she took off her coat.  
  
''Yeah, my mom's weekly dinner's are way up there.''  
  
''Interesting. What else is on our list ?''  
  
''Getting abducted by aliens, running in to a zombie on a graveyard, but after tonight those things don't seem so scary anymore. You know what we should also put on our list ?''  
  
Rory shook her head.  
  
''Eating strange orange food.''  
  
Rory smiled.  
  
''Mom, that was just some kind of carrot salad or something.''  
  
''Since when does salad move ?'' Lorelai asked as she kicked of her heels.  
  
''I'm going to change,'' Rory said as she started to head for her room.  
  
''All of a sudden the stuff in our fridge don't look that bad,'' Lorelai said as she went into the kitchen.  
  
Rory disappeared into her room and shut the door behind her. She walked over to her mirror and looked at herself. She quickly scanned her grey skirt and white shirt and made her face. She thought she looked like another person. Like the person her grandparents wanted her to be. A sophisticated and elegant young lady. That was what her grandma wanted her to be. Rory had already explained to her a couple of times, that she didn't feel comfortable dressing up like this, but Emily didn't listen. She just kept buying her skirts and dresses she only wore to their weekly dinner's, just to please her grandparents. Rory shook her head and quickly changed into a pair of grey baggy pants, an oversized sweater and a pair of sneakers. She smiled at her reflection, pleased with the way she looked. She left her room and walked in on her mom sitting on the couch, eating Chinese leftovers out of a white carton.  
  
''Mom, is it okay if I go out for a while ?''  
  
Lorelai nodded, not taking her eyes of the television screen. ''Sure hon, just be home at a decent time.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''I'll be back at 3 in the morning.''  
  
Lorelai smiled and took a bite of her Chinese.  
  
''This tastes weird...............''  
  
*~*~*  
  
It took Rory only a couple of minutes to walk over to Luke's. She knocked on the glass door, patiently waiting for Luke to open it. Almost immediately the door flew open and Rory looked up at the person she had least expected. Jess....... It was perfectly logical that he had answered the door, since he lived here and all, but still she hadn't expected it. As soon as her eyes met with his, a wave of shyness hit her.  
  
''Hey,'' she said, as she fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater.  
  
''Rory.''  
  
''I'm sorry for bothering you, but Luke still has my ball and.........''  
  
''Come in, ''Jess said as he held the door open for her.  
  
Rory went into the diner, ducking under his arm as she did and headed for the counter. Jess closed the door and went behind the counter to get her ball. He gently threw it at her and she caught it, locking eyes with him as she did.  
  
''Thanks,'' Rory said as she got up and headed for the door.  
  
''Hey........''  
  
Rory turned around to face him once more. ''Yeah ?''  
  
''Are you really that good ?''  
  
Rory threw him a shy smile and he returned her girly gesture with a smirk of his own. Rory realized that this was one of the first times she had seen him smirk. It made him loose some of his edge and softened his features a little. The smirk itself was kind of coy, but it suited him just as well.  
  
''I can hold my own in a game.''  
  
''We'll see......,'' Jess said, as she turned around to open the door.  
  
''Night Jess.''  
  
And with that she left as quickly as a breeze could leave the room. He walked over to the door to lock it and watched her as she walked away, dribbling her ball.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Okay, the next update will probably Friday, cause I have to figure out where this story is going. Just for the record, you guys do want me to continue right ? Sorry, I'm unsure about my own writing, cause there are already so many authors on this site who write extraordinary fics. Anyway, thanks! :-) 


	3. Let's play ball!

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! Finally, I could open up Wordpad and write again. It seems like it has been ages. Well, actually it has been two weeks. I really wanted to write, I mean, my hands were burning to write, but I had to put school first. Thanks for understanding! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The next morning, Rory was awoken by the rain as it rhythmically tapped against her window. It was almost like a melody that she would faintly remember in the back of her mind. That was why the rain always woke her up. She always wanted to remember the song, but no matter how long or hard she thought about it, it would always remain on the tip of her tongue. Rory yawned and took in the smell of burned toast. For some reason the smell was reassuring to her. Every Saturday morning her mom would try to make breakfast, but she never came any further than toast. And most of the time the toast was burned, just like this morning. Rory smiled as she got out of bed and made her way into the kitchen.  
  
''Morning mom,'' Rory said, as she stretched, trying to push the sleepiness out of her body.  
  
Rory yawned once more.  
  
''Morning sweets,'' Lorelai said, as she handed Rory a plat with burned toast.  
  
''I think I'll pass,'' Rory said, as she sat down.  
  
''Hey, you shouldn't judge a piece of toast by its color.''  
  
Lorelai grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite. As soon as the toast was in her mouth, she grimaced.  
  
''This tastes like burned toast,'' she said, as she quickly swallowed.  
  
Rory shook her head and smiled as she watched her mom throw away the toast.  
  
''Do you have to work today ?''  
  
''Yeah, but I have to find my raincoat first.''  
  
''The pink one with the white fur at the neck ?'' Rory asked, as she raised her eyebrows.  
  
''Yes,'' Lorelai answered. ''I never get to wear it, cause it doesn't rain as much as it should.''  
  
''That, and you have a car,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''So, what you're saying is that I don't need the raincoat, cause I have a car ?''  
  
Rory nodded. ''Basically.''  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''I just remembered, my car keys are in that coat.''  
  
Rory smiled. ''No, they're not.''  
  
''Yes they are.''  
  
''Fine, take the coat and look like a flamingo.''  
  
Lorelai shook her head as she grabbed her bag and key from the counter.  
  
''Nah, I would have to find the coat first. Besides, the coat's cute, but it isn't really practical.''  
  
''Yeah, it would clash with your red shirt,'' Rory said.  
  
Lorelai gave her a look before heading to the door.  
  
''Call me if you need anything, go to Luke's for some normal toast and don't get killed.''  
  
''Duly noted.''  
  
''And for the record, I don't look like a flamingo,'' Lorelai said as she shot Rory another look before heading out the door.  
  
Rory stuck out her tongue and closed the door behind her mom. She leaned against the door and listened to the rain as it knocked for permission for entrance on the other side. When the rain subsided, Rory turned around and went to her room to change.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Jess heard the bell above the door, he casually looked up to see who had entered the diner this time. He was getting used to the sound, but he still found it fascinating to see who came in to the diner next. The people in this small town seemed so unreal. It was as if someone had placed fictional characters in to this town and was writing their lines as the day went on. But as soon as he lay his eyes on Rory, a small smile brightened up his mercurial face. One that went unnoticed by the few other customers. She looked so cute and comfortable in her faded baggy pants and her rainbow colored sweater. Her hair was damp from the rain, just like her sweater.  
  
Jess watched her as she closed the door and started to walk towards him. He could see the recognition in her eyes. He nodded at her. Rory almost immediately lowered her head. Jess could catch one quick glimpse of her smile before her hair hid it from his searching eyes. He lowered his gaze to her hands as she tugged on her sleeves to cover them. He had only known her for a short time, but already he knew that she did that a lot. Hiding her hands from everyone when she was feeling hesitant or a little uncomfortable around people. Just as Rory sat down, Luke joined Jess behind the counter.  
  
''Hey Luke,'' Rory said, keeping her eyes on the counter in front of her.  
  
''Rory........,'' Luke said, as he took in her damp hair and sweater.  
  
''Where's your jacket ?''  
  
Rory brought one hand to her wet hair, quickly tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.  
  
''It's okay Luke. I don't mind the rain,'' she said, briefly meeting Jess' eyes.  
  
''Do you even have a jacket ?'' Luke asked, ignoring her earlier comment.  
  
''My mom has this pink raincoat with white fur that I could probably barrow.''  
  
Rory looked up and saw the flecks of amusement in Luke's eyes. Luke shook his head and looked over at Jess.  
  
''Jess, give her some coffee.''  
  
''Thanks Luke,'' Rory said.  
  
Luke nodded as he went back to work.  
  
''I'll go get your coffee,'' Jess said, as he turned around to get a mug.  
  
Rory observed him as he lifted his hand and reached for one of the coffee cups, that were lined up on the highest shelf. His shirt rose up just enough, for her to spot the deck of cards and the book, which were placed in his back pockets. As she poured the coffee into the cup, Rory looked away. He handed her the cup and she carefully took it, making sure that her fingers didn't graze against Jess'.  
  
''Thank you,'' she said, as she warmly smiled at him.  
  
''You're welcome,'' Jess said, wondering why her sugar coated politeness didn't appall him.  
  
She met his eyes, that were almost as dark as the aphotic depths of the sea. But no matter how much his eyes darkened, there were always those gold brown specks shimmering in his eyes. It reminded her of the sky on the edge of a storm. While the rain was pouring and the lightning was coloring the sky bright yellow every now and then, the sun would still be shining even though it wasn't clearly visible. Rory lowered her eyes to his nose  
  
''What are you looking at ?'' she asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable by her own thoughts and his watchful eyes.  
  
''Nothing,'' Jess said. ''I was just wondering........''  
  
''Wondering what ?'' she asked, shyly curious what was going on in his head.  
  
Jess looked out of the window for a minute before bringing his gaze back to her.  
  
''I was wondering if you would want to play some one on one ?''  
  
''......But.......it's raining,'' Rory said, a little surprised by his question.  
  
''I thought you didn't mind the rain ?''  
  
''Are you serious ?'' Rory asked, a small smile already forming on her face.  
  
Jess nodded and slightly smirked at her reaction. Rory looked at him for a moment, before getting up and pouring her coffee in to a plastic cup. Jess got his ball from behind the counter and yelled to Luke that he was going out.  
  
''Be more specific,'' Luke said, as he approached the both of them.  
  
''We're going to play some ball,'' Jess said.  
  
''In the rain ?''  
  
''She doesn't mind the rain uncle Luke, remember ?''  
  
Luke moved his gaze from Jess to Rory. ''You're going with him ?''  
  
Rory nodded. ''It is okay, right Luke ?''  
  
Luke looked around the diner before finally nodding and giving his approval.  
  
''Sure, just don't blame me when you two get sick.''  
  
''Bring on the Kleenex,'' Jess said, as he headed for the door.  
  
''Thanks,'' Rory said, before walking over to Jess, who had already opened the door for her.  
  
*~*~*  
  
While they were walking over to the basketball court, they remained in a fragile silence, breakable at any second by either one of them. Rory took another sip of her coffee and made a face.  
  
''This coffee tastes like water.''  
  
''It's probably the rain,'' Jess pointed out.  
  
''Probably,'' Rory said, before taking one last sip and grimacing again.  
  
''Why are you drinking it when you know it tastes like water ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''Cause it's a shame to let good coffee go to waste.''  
  
Jess smiled as he watched her throw the cup in the trash. He followed her on to the court.  
  
''Are you sure about this ?'' he asked.  
  
''Are you afraid of losing ?'' Rory asked, flashing him one of her enchanting smiles.  
  
Jess smirked. ''You wish,'' he said, as he threw the ball at her.  
  
''The first to reach ten points, wins.''  
  
''You starts,'' Rory said, as she threw the ball back at him.  
  
Jess shook his head as he threw the ball in her direction once more.  
  
''Ladies first.''  
  
Rory caught the ball and genuinely smiled at the fact that he had called her a lady. She was used to being called a tomboy or a sporty girl. But being called a lady give her a different feeling. One that made her forget about the rain. She wiped her hair away from her face and started to approach Jess, dribbling the ball as she did.  
  
Jess started to approach her too, keeping his eyes on the ball. He was trying to calculate her next move. She moved to the right, feinting to shoot the ball. Jess moved to the right too. He smiled. That was way too predictable. Suddenly she took two steps to the left, one step back and shot the ball. Rory smiled as the ball went straight in to the net.  
  
''I let you make that shot,'' Jess said, as he went to get the ball.  
  
''Whatever.''  
  
Rory laughed. ''Just admit that I'm better than you.''  
  
Jess dribbled the ball and moved closer to her. Too close, but since there wasn't a referee there was no one to call on him about that small detail. Besides he liked it like this.  
  
''Not until you prove it,'' he whispered.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, trying to pretend that his voice didn't cause her to feel anything, and stole the ball from him with one swift movement. She dribbled the ball past him and made another shot.  
  
''So, you let me make that one too ?'' she asked, satisfied with her actions.  
  
''If you say so,'' Jess answered, before heading off to get the ball.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After they had played a couple of games, they had decided to call it quits. They were soaked and both walking in the direction of the diner.  
  
''I'll beat you next time,'' Jess said, spinning the ball in his hands.  
  
Rory got nervous when she heard his last two words. Next time...... She started to tug at her sleeves. She wasn't used to spending so much time with one particular guy. Sure, she played basketball with guys before, but those games weren't the same as this one, with this particular guy. She had the feeling that this game had been more personal, because off the fact that they had stood a little closer to each other than was needed. And she admitted that she had liked it. She had liked the feeling of his warm breath when he spoke and she had liked how his hand would gently graze hers when he would steal the ball from her.  
  
Jess noticed her fidgeting.  
  
''What's wrong ?''  
  
Rory shook her head. ''Nothing, I'm just cold.''  
  
Jess nodded, but didn't entirely believe her. He stopped walking, cause they had reached the diner.  
  
''Do you want to come in for some coffee ?'' he asked.  
  
Rory smiled, but shook her head.  
  
''My mom's probably waiting for me. Rain check ?''  
  
Jess softy laughed at her joke and nodded.  
  
''Okay.''  
  
Rory whispered a goodbye, before turning around and heading home. Jess watched her until she had fully disappeared from his sight, before he entered the diner, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''Looks like you should have worn the pink raincoat,'' Lorelai said, as Rory entered the living room.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes as she took off her sneakers.  
  
''I played basketball.''  
  
''In the rain ?'' Lorelai asked, as her eyes darted from Rory to the window and back again.  
  
Rory nodded. ''It was actually Jess' idea.''  
  
''Oh..........,'' Lorelai said, as her expression softened.  
  
''Do you like Jess ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''He's okay, but I'm better at basketball at him.''  
  
Lorelai smiled. ''Not even a guy can compete against my own little NBA star.''  
  
Rory smiled and gave her mom a quick kiss on her cheek.  
  
''I'm going to change.''  
  
Rory went in to her room and started to take off her pants. She hopped over to her closet to get a pair of sweats, while her pants were halfway down. Just as she had pulled out a pair of sweats, she fell backwards on to her bed. She took off her pants and started to put on her sweats, when she spotted herself in the mirror across from her. She made a face when she realized how horrible she looked. Her hair was a mess, drops of rain were sliding down her cheeks and her sweater had slid half way down her left shoulder. She lowered her gaze and quickly put on her sweats. While she was changing sweaters, she realized that this was the first time she had actually cared about what she looked like........  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I hope you didn't give up on this story, cause even though it seems like I had......I really enjoy writing this fic. So, do I still have your attention ? Thanks again for the AMAZING reviews!!! :- ) And sorry for not reviewing your stories, I'll try not to slack off this time. Check out my Trory, if you have the time. Also updated!!! I'm so glad I had the time to write today!!! :-) 


	4. Intoxicated

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) Another week has passed (notice that it weren't two this time) and I thought that I had waited long enough to update. My week of Fall Break started yesterday, so I'll try to update more frequently. Or at least try to write a chapter every week, so I can update every weekend without actually having to write the chapters first. Cause that takes up a lot of my time. Time that I should be using to study. Just like this Fall Break. I have some major tests after it, so wish me luck ?! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory pulled open the door of the diner feeling nervous. She and Lane had decided to have breakfast/lunch together, though they always had the same no matter how late or early they were. But that wasn't what was making her nervous. Knowing that Luke's nephew was standing behind the counter and that she could just walk up to him and start a conversation with him, was causing for those butterflies to go wild inside her stomach.  
  
She closed the door behind her and shot a glance in the direction of the counter. She caught Jess looking at her with those impassioned eyes of his. It always seemed as if he looked at the world like just another story that he was caught up in. Rory finally lowered her head and started to look for Lane through her lashes. While she did this, a feeling of confusion and anxiety captured her by surprise. She was feeling things that she hadn't before. A new sensation had awoken in her stomach. One, that was growing more uncontrollable by the day. Just like her daydreams. Sometimes she found herself lying on her bed and just staring in to space, thinking about him. On other occasions she just wanted to be close to him and catch his attention in a way, hoping that he would pull her in to the dreamworld that he seemed to be living in.  
  
''Rory ! Over here !''  
  
As soon as Rory heard Lane's voice, she broke free from the chains that had been binding her to her thoughts. She immediately spotted her friend and headed in her direction.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory greeted, as she sat down across from Lane.  
  
''It took you like forever to get here.''  
  
''I'm like so totally sorry, but I was like painting my nails,'' Rory mocked.  
  
Lane looked at her.  
  
''Looks like the cheerleaders have finally left their mark.''  
  
''Like totally,'' Rory said, in a high pitched voice.  
  
Lane shot her another look.  
  
''Okay, I get your point. My hair isn't starting to turn blond, right ?'' she asked, as she pulled on a strand of her hair.  
  
''That's a prejudice, but now that you mention it.......''  
  
Lane stuck out her tongue at Rory. Rory just smiled as she took in her friend's appearance. She would have never pictured Lane as a cheerleader, she was too rocky and not blond enough. Rory softly laughed.  
  
''What can I get you two ?'' Luke asked.  
  
Both Lane and Rory looked up at Luke.  
  
''Do you just snap your fingers and appear ?'' Lane asked.  
  
''Yeah, it safes me time,'' Luke said, a little annoyed by Lane's remark.  
  
''Now, order or I'll snap my fingers and disappear again.''  
  
''I'll have a burger and fries Luke. And Lane would like a glass of water and a carrot.''  
  
Lane shot Rory a look, but couldn't control her laughter. Rory started to laugh too.  
  
''Am I missing something ?'' Luke asked, as he glared at them.  
  
Lane stopped laughing long enough to answer. ''Private joke. I'll have a burger and onion rings please.''  
  
''Oh, don't forget the coffee,'' Rory said.  
  
''And the coke,'' Lane chipped in.  
  
''You two already seem to have had enough of that,'' Luke murmured, as he wrote down their order.  
  
He shook his head and headed for the counter, as the two girls started to laugh again.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Luke walked over to the counter, where Jess was standing and handed him the order.  
  
''What's up with them ?'' Jess asked.  
  
''Apparently a glass of water and a carrot,'' Luke answered.  
  
''Kidding ?'' Jess asked, as he glanced in the direction of the two girls.  
  
''I wish I was. Bring them their order when it's ready, okay ?''  
  
Jess nodded and Luke went in to the back. Jess gave Ceaser the order and turned around. Almost subconsciously his eyes fell upon Rory. The sight of her combined with her cheery and unbothered laugher, caused a smirk to appear on his face. She appeared so careless and 'in place' right now. Just like the day before when they were playing basketball. She had seemed to be having fun. The same casual and naive fun he had been having. It was an amazing feeling to just spend an afternoon with her without feeling any pressure of acting a certain way. And even though he hated to admit this, she was indeed better at basketball than him. She played with a certain profession and knowledge of the game. He wondered how old she had been when she had first started to play. He was curious about her. She was like an unopened book or an unwritten story. If you didn't open the book or pick up the pen, you would never finish the story.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory wiped the last tears of laughter out of her eyes. Lane was doing exactly the same on the other end of the table.  
  
''So, how's Joshua ?'' Rory asked, hoping that this would be a subject that wouldn't make them laugh.  
  
''Boring.''  
  
''Lane.........?''  
  
Lane shot her an innocent look.  
  
''Not another one ?!'' Rory half asked and half assumed.  
  
Lane shrugged. ''Joshua wasn't entertaining anymore.''  
  
''So soon ?''  
  
''Yeah,'' Lane answered. ''He was so young too.''  
  
Rory smiled. ''Who's next on your check-list ?''  
  
Lane shot her a fake shocked look.  
  
''What are you talking about ? I just got over Joshua. I need some time to process my 'loss'.''  
  
Rory shook her head. ''What's his name ?''  
  
Lane shrugged. ''I don't know.''  
  
A grin appeared on her face.  
  
''But I do know that he's fantastic. Muscles in the right places, killer smile........''  
  
''Dreamy eyes ?'' Rory asked, interrupting Lane's rant.  
  
Lane shot her a look.  
  
''Would you let me finish ? I was just getting to his eyes.''  
  
Rory raised her hands, motioning for her to go on.  
  
''........and eyes to drown in.''  
  
''Color ?'' Rory asked.  
  
''Doesn't matter, cause he's so irresistible.''  
  
''Right, until you lose interest in him.''  
  
''At least I have interest in guys,'' Lane pointed out.  
  
''Hey, I do have interest in guys.'' Rory defended.  
  
''Those basketball players on TV don't count.''  
  
Rory kicked Lane underneath the table.  
  
Just then Jess came with their orders. He nodded and put down their order.  
  
''And neither do fictional characters,'' Lane said, finishing her defense.  
  
Rory gave Lane a warning look, but Lane just mimicked it and started to laugh.  
  
''Anything else ?'' Jess asked, as he locked eyes with Rory.  
  
Rory lowered her eyes before she answered, ''We're fine.''  
  
Jess nodded and went back to the counter. Rory glanced at him once more before looking up and meeting Lane's amused eyes.  
  
''Looks like you were right. You do have interest in guys.''  
  
''Excuse me ?'' Rory asked, trying very hard not to blush.  
  
''I never thought I would live to see the day,'' Lane continued.  
  
''What are you talking about ?''  
  
Lane rolled her eyes.  
  
''Your little crush on Luke's nephew.''  
  
''I don't have a crush,'' Rory said, as she lowered her eyes and started to blush.  
  
''So, it's more like an uncontainable longing ?'' Lane asked innocently.  
  
''Okay, ew!'' Rory said, as she grimaced at Lane's choice of words.  
  
''It is, isn't it ?''  
  
''Did you miss the ew ?''  
  
''No, but it was a forced and a not meant ew,'' Lane stated.  
  
''No, it wasn't.''  
  
''Okay, okay,'' Lane said, as she apparently gave in.  
  
Lane took a bite of her onion ring, while Rory took a bite of her burger. And for a small minute they were quiet, until Lane opened her mouth again.  
  
''So.........ever wondered what he would like without a shirt ?''  
  
''Lane!'' Rory said, as she grabbed a fry and threw it at her.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After breakfast/lunch Rory decided to go home and spend the rest of the day on homework, even though it wasn't necessary. She only did it to have something to do, something to focus on, something to think about. She figured that if she was concentrating on her homework, her mind wouldn't wander back to the conversation she had with Lane in the diner and the images that went with it. Like Jess locking eyes with her when he asked her if she wanted anything else. It was such a small and simple gesture. It was polite to look the person you were talking to in the eye. It was a platonic gesture. But the way he did seemed so secretive and seductive at the same time. She had almost expected him to place a finger against her lips, silently telling her not to let anyone know about what he just did. She felt so vulnerable and uncontrollable at the same time. It was as if he had stirred a side of her, that had been sleeping until he had awoken it with his voice. Rory sighed in frustration and slammed her book shut.  
  
''Are you okay sweets ?'' Lorelai asked, who had apparently just come home.  
  
''When did you get home ?''  
  
''Just when you went all mental on your homework.''  
  
''I did not go mental on my homework.''  
  
''Don't worry sweetie. I'm sure your homework deserved it.''  
  
Rory faintly smiled and shoved her books in the opposite direction from her.  
  
''Hard day ?'' Lorelai asked.  
  
''Frustrating day.''  
  
''Ah.....well, you wanna know the cure for frustration ?'' Lorelai asked cheerfully.  
  
''It's coffee, I know. It cures everything.''  
  
''No........coffee cures almost everything,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''Nut no frustration ?''  
  
''No,'' Lorelai answered.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. ''You were going to say coffee.''  
  
''No, as a matter of fact, I was going to say caffeine.''  
  
''Same,'' Rory said.  
  
''No, they both happen to start with a c, but they are certainly not the same. Caffeine is also in coke and........''  
  
''Can't think of anything else ?'' Rory asked, a small smile on her lips.  
  
''I was just trying to help you get rid of your frustration, but it looks like I'm going to Luke's alone.''  
  
''Bring me back a burger ?'' Rory asked.  
  
That's hilarious. Bring me back a burger. You should become a comedian.''  
  
''Mom, I'm not going to Luke's.''  
  
''Why not ?'' Lorelai asked. ''Are your legs broken ?''  
  
''That and I still have some studying to do.''  
  
''Okay sweets. Just don't get too smart on me now, okay ?''  
  
''Bye mom.''  
  
When Lorelai left, Rory opened up her history book again. She tried to study, but she couldn't find the concentration that was needed. Rory sighed and put down her pencil. She moved her gaze from her book to her window. Suddenly she got an idea. She quickly put on her denim jacket, grabbed her history book and pencil and left.  
  
*~*~*  
  
She walked to the bridge, practically with her eyes closed, tracing her own footsteps from a couple of days ago. Next to the basketball court, she had another favorite spot in Stars Hollow. Only this one was almost hidden from the 'world'. Weeping Willows hid the bridge from the eyes of the beholders. She made her way to approximately the middle of the bridge and sat down cross-legged. A couple of seconds later, she was focused on her history again. It lay open in her lap as she scanned across the lines, underlining the ones that were important. While she was doing this, a pleasant smile was gently grazing her features. The wind was calling to Mother Nature and the leaves were softly whispering their secrets to each other. Suddenly she noticed a change in her surroundings. All of a sudden the air felt heavier, as if it has less space to move in and the bridge creaked, warning her that she wasn't alone anymore. She turned her head and saw two jeans covered legs. She quickly brought her eyes up, her heart starting to beat slightly faster when she recognized those two violently piercing eyes.  
  
''Jess,'' she said, not realizing how soft and unsure her voice sounded.  
  
''Rory,'' he said, his voice sounding much louder than her voice had.  
  
''What are you doing here ?''  
  
''I was just about to get a cigarette and smoke,'' Jess answered, as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out one single cigarette and a lighter.  
  
''You smoke ?''  
  
Jess held the cigarette between his fingers and looked at her.  
  
''Yeah, do you have a problem with that ?''  
  
''No,'' Rory whispered, as she shyly returned her gaze to the pages in front of her.  
  
Jess put the cigarette in is mouth and lighted it in one swift movement. He put the lighter back in to his pocket and took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes remaining on Rory as he did this. After his third or fourth drag he sat down next to her.  
  
''So, what are you doing ?'' Jess asked, as he lowered his eyes to the book in her lap.  
  
''Studying,'' she said.  
  
''What subject ?'' he asked, as he brought his eyes to the side of her face.  
  
''History,'' Rory answered, briefly meeting his eyes before returning to her studying.  
  
Jess took another drag of his cigarette and looked at the smoke as it escaped from his mouth.  
  
''Have you ever smoked ?''  
  
Rory shook her head.  
  
''Do you want a drag ?'' Jess asked, as he held out his cigarette for her.  
  
Rory looked from the cigarette to Jess.  
  
''I like my lungs like they are, thank you.''  
  
Jess shook his head as he took one last drag and threw his cigarette in the water. He threw Rory a sideways glance and smirked before he got out his book and started to read.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Once again, I apologize for my lack of updates. And once again I would like to thank all of you for the great reviews! Next to good grades, they are the most rewarding thing to get. Come on, all of you know that grades are more important.......right ?! *Truthful Web of Lies* will probably be updated tomorrow. Thanks! :-) 


	5. Substitutional Butterflies

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: TWO WEEKS!!! TWO WEEKS WITHOUT UPDATING!!! I should be burned at the stake or something, seriously.........everything involving school sucks!!! Like grades!!! Though my writing kind of lacks in this chapter, I did bring another character in to the story. Not that it makes up for anything. Anyway enjoy!!! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory was slowly making her way towards Stars Hollow High, sipping her coffee that she had just picked up at Luke's. It had become a daily routine. Rory checked her watch as she took another sip of her coffee. She had twenty minutes before school started and at least fifteen before the other students would come pouring in to the building, already discussing their plans for next weekend. A satisfied smile appeared on Rory's face as she brought the cup to her lips again. Just as she was about to taste the flavor of the warm liquid, a soft whisper near her ear caused her to gasp and almost drop her coffee.  
  
''Rory.''  
  
Rory instantly took a step back, gripping and balancing her coffee. Her eyes shot up and met a pair of amusing eyes.  
  
''Stop showing up like that !''  
  
Jess smirked at his comment and raised one eyebrow. ''Like that ?''  
  
''Yeah, like some creepy stalker, who follows young girls around at night and gets a kick out of scaring them,'' Rory explained.  
  
''It's day,'' Jess pointed out, with a hint of playfulness in his voice.  
  
''Not the point. Stalkers can stalk during the day and night.''  
  
''Clever.''  
  
Rory shot him a look before walking away. Jess put his hands in his pockets and caught up with her. He glanced in her direction.  
  
''What happened to the nice and quiet no fighting thing we had going last night ?''  
  
''We weren't talking so therefor we couldn't argue,'' Rory answered, while she quickly went through her thoughts, reliving last night.  
  
''Not a 'make love not war' kinda girl huh ?'' Jess asked, keeping his eyes on Rory.  
  
A faint taint of red covered her cheeks as she answered. ''''I gave up on that after the whole smoking incident.''  
  
''It bothered you ?'' Jess asked, sincerely curious for her answer.  
  
''No,'' Rory answered, as she took a quick sip of her coffee.  
  
Even though she said no, it did bother her in a way. The smell of the cigarette wrapped around him entirely, blocking out the fragrance of his spicy cologne and the faint smell of shaving creme. That was the way a guy was supposed to smell. But on the other hand she couldn't deny that the cigarettes suited him in a way. It gave him an edge yet it made him look so commonly casual at the same time. She sighed and looked at Jess.  
  
''Yes, it bothered me.''  
  
''Figured,'' Jess responded.  
  
''How ?''  
  
''The 'I like my lungs like they are' comment gave you away,'' Jess said, as he heard her say it in his mind. She had said it in such a serious tune, though it was meant as a playful remark. In a way, she had been extremely clever and artful.  
  
''I didn't mean to offend you.''  
  
''I threw my cigarette away, didn't I ?''  
  
''Yeah.'' Rory smiled and wondered what made him do that. Could it have possibly been her comment ?  
  
''Now maybe you could move on to the entire package ?'' she asked.  
  
''And get the patch ?'' Jess asked, as he met her eyes.  
  
Rory felt the weight of his gaze on her and lowered her eyes. Immediately she felt guilty for judging him.  
  
''Sorry, you can do whatever you want.''  
  
Rory walked over to a nearby trash can to throw her now empty coffee cup away. Jess traced her movements with his eyes, once again thinking of how boyishly cute she looked in her baggy clothes. Rory turned around and caught his glance. She shot him a small smile. She didn't feel awkward when he looked at her. His eyes weren't longingly hungry, they were just curious, just like hers.  
  
''It's okay, maybe I'll quit. I don't smoke that much anyway,'' Jess said, bringing his eyes up to meet Rory's.  
  
''Good.''  
  
''Yeah, no black lungs for me.''  
  
''That's a good thing,'' Rory said, amusement clearly detectable in her voice.  
  
''If you say so.''  
  
Rory met Jess' eyes for a moment before turning her head in the direction of the school. She stopped walking as soon as she saw the group of guys standing in front of the school. She realized that because of Jess she had lingered longer than usual.  
  
Jess saw her reaction out of the corner of his eye and wondered shy she didn't like the attention. Every girl he knew liked this kind of attention.  
  
As they headed up the steps towards the entrance, a couple of the guys started to stare and whistle at Rory. Rory lowered her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face, building a wall between her and the guys. She didn't quite know what to do with her hands as she passed them. Right before Jess followed her inside, he threw them a dangerous glare.  
  
''They're jerks,'' he told Rory.  
  
''I wish they would find somebody else to bother,'' Rory said, as she glanced in the direction of the school's entrance. She returned her eyes back to Jess.  
  
''I have to go to my locker.''  
  
Jess nodded.  
  
Rory turned around and started to head in the direction of her locker. Jess glanced at the entrance as a plan quickly started to form in his head. With a face as hard as stone, he walked over to them.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After school, Rory could once again be found at her locker. Her bag lay at her feet as she was practically throwing her books in to her locker, silently cursing all the guys on the planet. There were indeed a few exceptions, but they were so rare that they should be treasured. The thing she didn't get, was why they had to pick on her ?! Was it because of the way she dressed or because of the fact that she had beat every single one of them in basketball ? Rory slammed her locker shut. Now she knew why she never even bothered with guys. Too frustrating! She grabbed her bag and turned around, her body almost immediately colliding with someone else's. She took a step back, ready to apologize, but changed her mind when she saw that it was a guy.  
  
''Oh great...........,'' she mumbled, loud enough for him to hear her.  
  
''Excuse me ?''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
''Don't pretend not to know what I'm talking about when you and your friends are always..........''  
  
''My friends ?'' the guys interrupted her, obviously confused.  
  
''Yeah, the jerks over there,'' Rory said, as she nodded in the direction of the guys that were standing near the entrance, their regular spot.  
  
The guy followed her gaze.  
  
''They're not my friends,'' he said.  
  
''Right.'' Rory crossed her arms.  
  
''I don't even know them, I'm new.''  
  
Rory looked up at him, realizing that he didn't look familiar at all. She started to blush and focused her gaze on the floor.  
  
''Sorry.''  
  
''Not a problem, I was just looking for my locker,'' he said. He opened the locker right next to Rory and smiled. ''Found it.''  
  
Rory nodded, still not daring to look up at him. She was too embarrassed by the situation. Only when he was busy going through his locker, she quickly looked at him. He was tall and lean, definitely a basketball figure. She caught herself wondering what color his eyes were, but unfortunately she couldn't see them, because of his hair that was partly hanging in his face.  
  
''So, quick question,'' the guy said, still going through his locker. ''Those guys.........'' He waved his hand in the direction of the guys Rory pointed out earlier. ''.......are jerks because ?''  
  
''Cause they're jerks.''  
  
''Ah.......get it.''  
  
''And.....you're new ?'' Rory asked carefully.  
  
''Yeah,'' he said as he closed his locker. ''My name's Dean.''  
  
Rory held out her hand. ''Rory.''  
  
Dean was a little surprised by her gesture, but shook her hand anyway.  
  
''Nice to meet you Rory. You don't happen to know where Doose's Market is, do you ?''  
  
''Are you kidding ? This is Stars Hollow, everyone knows Doose's. It's the only market in town,'' Rory explained.  
  
''Of course, one market. At least there is a market, right ?''  
  
''Right.'' Rory smiled. ''Why do you need to go there anyway ?''  
  
''I applied for a job and I start today,'' Dean answered.  
  
''Our first bag boy,'' Rory said, with a grin on her face.  
  
''Excuse me ?''  
  
''Small town. Come on, I'll show you. My house is in that direction anyway.''  
  
Rory and Dean started to head for the school's entrance. This time Rory was able to walks passed those guys without getting one single glare or whistle. And she was grateful, cause she didn't want to embarrass herself even more in front of Dean. As she was heading down the steps, an unusual sight caught her attention. She spotted Jess talking to one of those jerks who whistled at her earlier, smoking a cigarette. The first thing that entered her mind was the fact that he was smoking again, when he sort of promised her to quit. She didn't know him that well and he didn't seem like the kind of guy to keep promises, but it still did something to her, which she hated. Maybe she was wrong about Jess ? Maybe he was a jerk after all.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''And beware of Mrs. Patty, once she's got her eyes on you...........''  
  
''That bad huh ?'' Dean asked.  
  
''More than you know. Last Halloween, Kirk was dressed as a ghost, white cloth and everything. Only he wasn't wearing anything underneath it. So next thing he knows, he's being pulled into Mrs. Patty's dance studio...........''  
  
''And never heard from again ?'' Dean interrupted.  
  
''No, he was seen again............except he was covered in red lipstick,'' Rory finished.  
  
''So, I guess wearing a kilt in this town is out ?''  
  
''Just remember to wear something underneath it,'' Rory said, with a serious expression.  
  
Dean smiled. ''I'll remember.''  
  
They stopped in front of Doose's Market.  
  
''Here it is, Doose's Market,'' Rory said.  
  
''Doose's Market,'' Dean repeated.  
  
''Yep.''  
  
''I better go in,'' Dean said.  
  
''Yeah, maybe I'll come to Doose's more often now.''  
  
Dean softly laughed and nodded. ''Bye Rory.''  
  
''Bye,'' Rory said softly, as he head home blushing. She couldn't believe she had actually said that to Dean. At least he didn't say anything about it. He seemed like a very open and honest open. Talkative too, unlike Jess who only spoke to her when he felt like it. What she was doing right now, was hypocritical of her. She just met Dean and she hardly knew Jess. The question was, which one did she want to know better ? Her mind was made up very quickly. She had seen Jess herself, actually talking to those jerks who got a kick out of bothering her. Maybe the first impression she got of Jess when he was standing across from her in the corridor, staring at her, had been the right one. She decided to stop thinking about Jess and started to focus on the butterflies in her stomach. Only, were these butterflies the same ones she felt when she was around Jess or were these new ones ?  
  
*~*~*  
  
At home, Rory found Lorelai sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a magazine.  
  
''Thank God, you're home. I'm so bored,'' Lorelai said, as soon as she spotted Rory.  
  
''Hey mom,'' Rory greeted, dropping her bag on the floor.  
  
''Entertain me ?'' Lorelai childishly asked.  
  
''With what ?''  
  
''Stories.''  
  
''About ?'' Rory asked, as she sat down across from her mother.  
  
''Such a big imagination, yet you can't find a way to entertain your mom. Dirty by the way.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
''How was school ?''  
  
''Fine,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Anything fun happen ?''  
  
''My teacher got in to a debate with a student.''  
  
''I said something fun, not boring,'' Lorelai whined.  
  
''It was about the difference between cherry and strawberry lip gloss,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''Bad day sweets ?''  
  
''Not entirely. There was one bright side.........''  
  
Rory stopped talking and looked at her mom, who was waiting in anticipation to hear her story.  
  
''Don't keep me in suspense.''  
  
''I.....uhm....actually met this guy today.........'' Rory started.  
  
''Are you sure this guy isn't a creation of your imagination ?''  
  
''And he's really nice,'' Rory continued, trying to ignore her mom.  
  
''Cause it's okay, you know ?''  
  
''His name is Dean.''  
  
''It's perfectly normal,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''Mom, Dean's new and unless ghosts have finally gotten a good fashion and flesh adviser, he's human.''  
  
Lorelai's face lit up. ''I have waited so long to say this............spill !''  
  
*~*~*  
  
After talking to her mom about Dean over pizza for about an hour, she called Lane and talked about the same subject for another hour. And believe it or not, Rory didn't find it annoying or a waste of her time. It felt good to talk about it. For once she was the one telling Lane about a guy, about his eyes, how nice he was..........how different he was from Jess. Rory shook her head and cleared her mind as she reached the basketball court.  
  
When she shot the ball for what seemed like the millionth time, she heard footsteps behind her. Without thinking twice she turned around, not even looking to see if the ball went in or not. Jess was standing a couple of feet in front of her with a cigarette between his fingers and his eyes locked on her. Rory shivered as she watched him take a drag of his cigarette and blow out the smoke.  
  
''Nothing but net,'' he said, referring to the shot she just made.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory mumbled.  
  
Jess nodded, still not moving. Rory let out a silent, almost wishful sigh and went to get her ball, trying to pretend that Jess wasn't here at all. When she got the ball and made her way back towards him, she couldn't stand the silence anymore and looked up at Jess.  
  
''What do you want, Jess ?''  
  
Jess shrugged, throwing his cigarette on the court.  
  
''Just wondering about something.''  
  
''Could you be anymore vague ?''  
  
''Problem ?'' Jess asked, as she buried his hands in his pockets.  
  
''No, forget it.'' Rory started to dribble the ball again.  
  
''You saw me, didn't you ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''It seemed like you fitted in perfectly with the rest of those jerks.''  
  
Inwardly she cringed at her harsh comment. Jess understood her sudden anger, but still didn't make an attempt to tell her about his ingenious plan, which turned out being not so genius after all. He actually liked those guys, they reminded him of his friends back in New York. A smile appeared on his face as he thought about this. He glanced in Rory's direction, looking at the way she had her gaze fixed on the ball in her hands. He tried looking at the situation from her point of view. But after only a second he started to wonder why he even cared. She lived in the same town and went to the same school, so what ? And she was a nice person, nothing more...........but certainly nothing less. Jess sighed.  
  
''You wouldn't understand. My friends........are just like them and they're my kind of people.''  
  
''Yeah, figured that already,'' Rory said, not looking up.  
  
Jess glanced at her once more, before turning around and walking away. He wasn't sure what to do now.  
  
''Hey.......Jess ?''  
  
Jess stopped and turned around to meet her honeslty unclouded eyes.  
  
''Just don't...........''  
  
''I won't,'' he said, before she could finish her sentence.  
  
Rory slightly smiled. ''You rhymed.''  
  
Jess smirked and removed his hands from his pockets as he walked over to her.  
  
''One on one ?''  
  
Rory threw him the ball. ''You start. You need all the points you can get.''  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) So, what did ya think ? Was it really as bad as I thought it was ? I apologize for my non existent updates and my horrible writing. Thanks for the reviews and your patience!!! :-) 


	6. Paper or plastic, the unbeknownst dilemm...

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! :-) I was actually thinking of quitting this story for a short while and finishing my Trory first, but I'm not so sure anymore. I think I know how the next couple of chapters are going to be. Anyway this chapter is only a filler, because I wanted to start a new day in a new chapter. Just give me some time to figure out the next chapter.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory dug her hands in to her pocket and slowly turned her head in the direction of the large window. She instantly found Dean's tall and slightly muscular figure with her eyes. She had been doing this for a couple of minutes now. When she was positively sure nobody was looking she appeared in front of the window and looked at Dean as he bagged groceries and had short conversations with practically every customer.  
  
He would look in the direction of the window every now and then, but of course he would see nothing, except for that handful of characterful people that would walk passed Doose's Market every now and then and of course the gazebo, that stood in the middle of the town. The gazebo seemed so out of place, here in this town of colorful buildings and people. And unlike all the other buildings around here, it looked serene and calm. That was probably the reason why it had been build in the first place.  
  
Every time Rory would have the slightest belief that Dean was about to look in her direction, she quickly moved a couple of steps to the right. Out of Dean's view, hopefully. She never moved to the left, cause that was where the door was and she didn't want to be caught in front of Doose's. She had bumped in to a couple of customers already that were either entering or leaving Doose's. But their suspicion faded every time she said something like; I'm waiting for my mom, she's supposed to be meet me here. Which wasn't entirely a lie, since she had agreed to meet her mom in front of Doose's.  
  
Rory carefully approached the window again and smiled when her eyes spotted Dean. This time he was busy stacking something, so luckily for her he was too busy to notice her watchful eyes. Just like she was too busy to notice the curious eyes behind her.  
  
''Who are we spying on ?'' suddenly came a voice behind Rory.  
  
Rory jumped in surprise and turned around in one fluent movement.  
  
''Mom, what are you doing here ?'' she asked, even though she knew the answer.  
  
''I apologize, I thought this was the town I lived in, Stars Hollow. You know, the town where my house is and where I'm supposed to meet my sweet and not so jumpy daughter, but I guess I've got the wrong town.''  
  
Before Rory could say something to her mother, the door of Doose's opened, which caught both of the Gilmore Girls' attention. Taylor came out of the store, dragging Kirk with him, who seemed to be covered in a white substance of some kind.  
  
''No! I need more sugar! Taylor, you don't understand! Mom wanted me to test this new diet for her and I haven't tasted sugar in three weeks!'' Kirk yelled at Taylor, who was already on his way back to the store.  
  
''Nope, this is the right town after all,'' Lorelai commented.  
  
Rory nodded. ''Unless there's an identical town out there where this same situation has just happened too.''  
  
''Of course, I forgot that option. So, back to the original topic. Why were you standing outside Doose's, staring through the window as if they were having a sale on Oompa Loompa's ?''  
  
''Kirk on a sugar free diet, could be lethal,'' Rory said, as she unknowingly glanced in the direction of Dean once more.  
  
''Somebody's feeling like a goldfish in there,'' Lorelai said, as she followed Rory's gaze.  
  
''What ?'' Rory asked absently, as she slowly turned her head towards Lorelai again.  
  
A smile started to appear on Lorelai's lips.  
  
''Mom, what are you smiling at ?''  
  
''Oompa Loompa's,'' Lorelai answered cheerfully.  
  
Rory rolled her head and looked in the same direction as her mom. At Dean.  
  
''I can't picture it now, you and him walking down the aisle........,'' Lorelai started.  
  
''Mom.''  
  
''Of course, the roof of the church would have to be adjusted because of his height. Or the wedding could just be held outside, in the open air. You in a pretty dress and him in an apron, especially designed for him by Armani.''  
  
Rory sighed. ''Let's go to Luke's.''  
  
''No, we need supplies first,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''Can't we do that later,'' Rory asked hopefully.  
  
''Sure, we could. But then you would have been waiting here for nothing. And we would have witnessed Kirk covered in sugar for nothing. Besides, you don't have to go in. I'll just go in by myself.''  
  
''And tell him about the wedding we're going to have ? I don't think so, give me the money.''  
  
''Is this a hold up ?'' Lorelai asked, faking seriousness.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. ''I'll get the food.''  
  
''Fine, but when you're walking down of those aisles, just picture yourself in a white dress and saying I do.  
  
'' ''I'll meet you at Luke's,'' Rory said, as she headed over to the entrance of Doose's.  
  
''Tum tum....tum tum, tum tum........tum tum,'' Lorelai sang as she turned around and started to head towards Luke's with a smile on her face.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory let out a sigh of relief when she heard the reassuring sound of Doose's door closing behind her. She lightly leaned against the door as she roamed through the store with her eyes, trying to find Dean in the small pond of people which were going through their daily shopping routine. She found him by the register, bagging Babette's groceries as she kept talking to him. Probably about her cats. Rory took a step forwards, away from the door and disappeared in to one of the closest aisles.  
  
Soon her arms are buried beneath a mountain of candy, chocolate and other unhealthy goods. She was starting to regret not getting one of those little shopping baskets before starting her discovering journey. She made her way to the end of the aisle sneaked a look around the corner. Dean wasn't standing there anymore. She was partly thankful and partly disappointed at this new discovered fact.  
  
''Hey.''  
  
Rory gasped and pulled her arms towards her as a reflex, causing for all the groceries to end up on the spotless floor. She turned around and faced the person to which the voice belonged to, Dean.  
  
''Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,'' Dean apologized.  
  
''You didn't. I just like throwing food on the floor. It makes the marshmallows extra fluffy.''  
  
Dean gave her an amusing smile, while his eyes curiously scanned her face, before getting down on his knees to recollect her stuff. Rory silently watched him as he scooped everything up in his athletic arms and got back on his feet.  
  
''Thanks,'' Rory said.  
  
''You need some help carrying them to the register or are you planning on getting even more candy ?'' Dean asked, raising one eyebrow.  
  
Rory was a little embarrassed at his obvious reaction. No one in this town questioned them when they came in to the store and bought practically every item in the candy aisle.  
  
''No, I think I have enough to survive the night.''  
  
''Probably,'' Dean said, as he gave her one more look before leading her over to the register. He dropped them all on the counter and Taylor started to ring them up. Dean bagged Rory's items while she paid for the food and got in to some friendly chitchat with Taylor. Rory patiently listened while Taylor told her how import right change was. When he was done, she politely nodded and mumbled something that sounded like a goodbye. She walked over to Dean and took the two plastic bags from him.  
  
''You didn't ask me if I wanted paper or plastic,'' she pointed out.  
  
''Actually, we only have plastic,'' Dean confessed.  
  
''I'll just have to bring that up at the next town meeting then.''  
  
Dean nodded. Both of them stood there for a while, not knowing what to say.  
  
''I have to go, my mom's waiting,'' Rory said.  
  
''I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.''  
  
Rory nodded and left the store, looking at Dean once more before closing the door and practically floating over to Luke's.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess was just on his way to one of the few occupied tables, when the door opened and Rory entered the diner, wearing a big smile that reminded him of one of those TV presenters that always forced their lips to curve and cover up their teeth that were always too white. Only hers wasn't fake, it was too radiating and honest for that.  
  
Jess put the plates down in front of two waiting customers and watched Rory out of the corner of his eye as he walked past him. He caught another glimpse of her faint smile, causing small barely visible lines to appear at the corners of her eyes. It reminded him of a particular line he had read once; a smile keeps people wondering, or something like that. And that was indeed seeming to be a true statement.  
  
He absently nodded at the customers and turned around. As he casually started to walk over to the counter, he found himself wondering about the reason that was hiding behind her breathtaking smile.  
  
Just as Rory sat down on one of the stools, Jess joined Luke behind the counter. To his surprise she wasn't even making an attempt to look at him. Not that he was that arrogant, but he knew that he could be charming if he only had a goal.  
  
Lorelai glanced at Rory as she put her second empty coffee cop down.  
  
''Hey hon, got the sugar ?''  
  
''Yep, right here,'' Rory answered, as she pointed at the two bags that were resting by her feet.  
  
''Good, now what about that other sugah ?'' Lorelai winked. ''You know, a little somethin' somethin'.''  
  
Rory shook her head and looked at Luke. ''Can I have some coffee ?''  
  
''Yeah, she probably needs to cool off from a hot and..............''  
  
''Lorelai,'' Luke warned, as he put down a full mug of coffee in front of Rory.  
  
Rory grabbed her coffee and sweetly smiled at her mom before taking a sip.  
  
''Yes.......master ?'' Lorelai asked, in a seductive voice.  
  
Luke ignored her and started to put her empty coffee cup in the sink. ''Stop bothering the child.''  
  
''Child ? What does that make Jess, the boy ?'' Lorelai asked mockingly.  
  
''I prefer pain in the ass,'' Luke mumbled.  
  
''And what does that make me ?''  
  
''Addict,'' Luke said, without looking at Lorelai.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''So, you and Dean ?'' Lorelai asked, as soon as the door of the diner closed behind them.  
  
Rory remained silent, a little uncomfortable talking about a guy like this.  
  
''Dean and you,'' Lorelai tried again.  
  
Rory sighed. ''No, we haven't set a date for the wedding yet.''  
  
''Why not ?'' Lorelai asked, pretending to be shocked by this news.  
  
''Cause a first date would be nice,'' Rory answered.  
  
''He didn't have paper bags, did he ?''  
  
''Nope.'' Rory shook her head.  
  
''And he calls himself a bagboy.''  
  
''It's not Dean's fault that the store hasn't got any paper bags, you know ? After all it's Taylor's store,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''Guess we have something to talk about at the next town meeting.''  
  
''Yep,'' Rory answered.  
  
''He should put up some kind of warning sign or something. You know, one that says something like; we only have plastic, but plastic's fantastic.''  
  
''How did we get from Dean to talking about warning signs ?'' Rory asked.  
  
Lorelai shrugged. ''I don't know, but Taylor should definitely let me come up with the ideas for the signs.''  
  
Rory sighed. Lorelai smiled and put her arm around her daughter.  
  
''Maybe we should also put up warnings that say something like; beware when you enter this store, cause once you have laid your eyes on Dean, you'll be wanting more.''  
  
''Mom !'' Rory said, as she buried her head in her hands.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Thanks again for your patience and more importantly your reviews! I would bake each and every one of you a cake, but I can't cook. Of course, I could also try sending you guys a thank you gift, but I don't have a lot of money to spend. So, I hope my gratitude will be enough. :-) Like I said before, give me some time for the next chapter. 


	7. Dean should have coughed on his way to R...

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! I know I haven't updated for a while, but I'm really busy with school. I have to study for 8 tests (!), so that's why I have been slacking off lately. I do hope I won't lose any readers this way though.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
As Rory walked the familiar road to Luke's once again, she found herself wondering why the usual group of guys hadn't bothered her today, or the day before. Normally they were all lingering outside the school building, as if they were waiting for her to emerge through the doors. But on this standard Wednesday, they had been throwing around a football. Which was definitely a change of scenery for her, since they usually were huddled together in a messy and scattered circle, smoking a cigarette or chewing on a piece of gum. They reminded her of a Mafia group sometimes, standing on street corners, just waiting and watching.......  
  
Her first thought was that Jess had somehow managed to influence them, but he didn't really seem like the kind of person that would care about these sort of things. Things that were bound to seem frivolous and meaningless in his eyes. She wondered why she even cared if Jess had something to do with the fact that she was walking towards Luke's without having the feeling that she should make herself as small as possible, hoping that they miraculously didn't see her anymore and would stop looking at her. She hated when people looked at her. It always seemed as if they were examining her, giving her their approval or just dismissing her all together.  
  
Rory hooked her thumbs into the sides of her jeans, causing them to hang a little lower on her hips than she would normally allow. Unawarely showing off the fair skin of her stomach and upper hips as she did this. She liked the feel of her fingers against her warm skin, it was a comfortable feeling. The strap of her backpack slipped of her shoulder, but she didn't feel the need to adjust it. As long as the other strap was still in the place, it wouldn't bother her.  
  
''Rory !'' came a voice behind her.  
  
She stopped walking and turned her head to look over her shoulder, causing her hair to cover half of her face. She heard a steady pair of footsteps approach her and turned around completely, tucking her hair back behind her ears as she did this. Her eyes fell upon the warm orange in front of her. She brought her eyes up and met a pair of grey/bluish eyes that were gleaming with kindness. His lips were slightly tugged back revealing a small and careful smile.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory said softly, not wanting to break the enchantment that seemed to be holding her against her will, voluntarily.  
  
Dean's smile widened and a pleasant smile took a hold of his features, causing Rory to smile without noticing.  
  
''Hey,'' he finally said.  
  
''Are you on your way to Doose's ?'' Rory automatically asked, remembering that he worked at Doose's Market.  
  
''Actually, I was on my way home. I didn't know being a bag boy could cause such commotion,'' Dean playfully answered, amusement lighting up his eyes even more.  
  
Rory faintly started to blush and lowered her eyes.  
  
''Yeah, you're my pride and joy..........I mean our pride and joy. Of us, Stars Hollow, this town. Not that you're actually ours or anything.............''  
  
Rory stopped mid-sentence and took a deep breath before she continued, hoping that the cool air would cool down her nerves.  
  
''So, you're on your way home huh ?''  
  
Dean softly laughed and nodded.  
  
''Yeah, but I got held up.''  
  
Rory awkwardly took a step back and mumbled a sorry in Dean's direction. Dean, however, just smiled at her behavior.  
  
''It's okay. I wasn't looking forward to going home anyway. All that homework. So you actually did me a favor, small but still a favor.''  
  
''Glad I could help you,'' Rory said, removing her hands from the sides of her jeans and adjusting the strap of her backpack.  
  
''So, were you on your way home..........cause if your house is in the same direction, maybe we could walk home together ?'' Dean hesitantly asked.  
  
Rory quickly glanced at the diner.  
  
''Yeah, I was on my way home.''  
  
Dean nodded and started to head in the direction opposite from the diner. Rory halfheartedly turned around and followed Dean, feeling a little as if she was breaking tradition. And once tradition was broken it could never be mended, cause tradition was a continuous cycle, something that came natural to you, doing it without even thinking about it. And today, for the first time, she had stepped of the road, she knew by heart, and was about to head in to the woods.  
  
*~*~*  
  
His hands were casually resting in his pockets and half a cigarette was lingering between his lips, as he was slowly meandering towards the diner, his narrowed eyes fixed on the 'couple' that was heading in the opposite direction. He lazily removed a hand from his pocket and reached for his cigarette. He took a drag and blew out the smoke in one furious breath. After the taste of smoke had left his mouth, his lips formed a thin line. He threw his cigarette on the ground, glanced in the direction of Rory and Dean once more, before he entered the diner.  
  
As soon as he closed the door behind him, Luke appeared in front of him with a worried scowl on his face.  
  
''Jess, were you smoking ?''  
  
''Nope,'' Jess answered, as his hands returned to their rightful place, in his pockets.  
  
''So smoke just randomly comes out of your mouth ?'' Luke tried again, obviously not believing Jess' former answer.  
  
''That definitely gives a new definition to smoking hot huh ?'' Jess said, as he headed for the stairs.  
  
''Jess, where are you going ?!''  
  
''Unless these stairs lead to heaven, upstairs !'' Jess yelled back.  
  
''You're working tonight, so you better get started on your homework !''  
  
''Homework's out !'' Jess yelled, before disappearing upstairs.  
  
Luke sighed and shook his head as he walked over to another customer, wondering why he got stuck with a teen who wasn't only pretending not to give a damn, but who really didn't give a damn. Not on the surface anyway.....  
  
*~*~*  
  
''Nice house,'' Dean said, as he looked at the small, but cheery house in front of him.  
  
After Dean had informed that Rory's house was closer than his, he had insisted on walking her home.  
  
''Yeah, it's unlike any you have ever seen. I mean, a porch, that's new.''  
  
''We haven't got a porch..................,'' Dean commented.  
  
Rory smiled and looked at him.  
  
''I better get inside.''  
  
''Yeah, I should probably get home, my sister's waiting for me.''  
  
''Your sister ?'' Rory asked.  
  
''Yeah, her name's Clara,'' Dean said automatically. ''She's younger than me, so of course she's a pain.''  
  
''I'm sure it's not that bad. I have always wanted a sister. Besides, they're handy. You can force them to do your chores and stuff like that,'' Rory rambled.  
  
''Well, yeah........if she feels like it, of course, and doesn't tell my parents about it,'' Dean said, as he made a face.  
  
Rory softly laughed at his expression. ''I'm still convinced it's not that bad.''  
  
''Figures,'' Dean said. ''Girls always stick together.''  
  
Rory looked at him.  
  
''I'm strongly convinced that they're all connected somehow. An international secret club or something.''  
  
''Our club color is pink,'' Rory said, amused by Dean's theory.  
  
Dean turned his head and met her eyes. ''I'm sure you look really cute.''  
  
Rory broke their eye contact and started to fidget with her fingers.  
  
''I should be getting home, my sister's...............''  
  
''Waiting,'' Rory finished, looking up again. ''I think you've mentioned that before.''  
  
Dean nodded. ''Yeah, see you tomorrow.'' He turned around and slowly started to make his way towards the drive way.  
  
''Bye !''  
  
Dean glanced over his shoulder and looked at her, with a grin on his face.  
  
''Bye, Rory.''  
  
Rory turned around and went inside, not realizing that she had copied Dean's grin.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory was stretched out on the couch in front of the TV, when finally the door opened and Lorelai came in.  
  
''Hey sweets,'' Lorelai said, as she dropped her keys next to the answering machine.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory said, wondering why the cute guys always had to sit on the bench, during a game, instead of showing off on the court.  
  
''Since when do you sit and watch TV on a school night ?''  
  
''I always watch TV on a school night.''  
  
''But not like this,'' Lorelai pointed out, as she rested both of her hands on her hips and observed Rory. ''Your sitting position is different.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, as she turned off the TV and looked at her mom.  
  
''Today I felt like sitting like this, it's comfortable.''  
  
''Too comfortable..........,'' Lorelai started.  
  
''Mom, it's our couch.''  
  
''That definitely explains why it's always in our house, just standing there.''  
  
''That's what couches tend to do,'' Rory said.  
  
''I know, but wouldn't it be more exciting if they weren't just standing there ?''  
  
''No, that would just be creepy,'' Rory answered.  
  
''It beats boring.''  
  
''So, even though jumping of a building would kill you..............''  
  
''I would still do it, with my trusty friend the parachute, of course,'' Lorelai said. ''So, are you ready to go to Luke's ?''  
  
''That depends.......what if my sitting position doesn't agree with me ?''  
  
*~*~*  
  
The first thing Rory noticed when she entered the diner was the empty spot at the counter. Normally Jess would be standing there, reading his book and glaring at the customers every now and then, as if he was silently telling them to be quiet so he could read in silence. But today, he was actually walking around the diner, taking orders. Of course, he was still glaring at the customers and being his talkative self, but at least he was scribbling things down on a notepad and bringing customers their food.  
  
While Lorelai and Rory sat at the counter, waiting for Luke to show up, Rory's eyes roamed across the diner seemingly aimlessly, but in reality she was carefully awaiting the right moment to rest her gaze upon Jess. When Luke joined them on the other side of the counter, Rory's gaze flew from Jess to Luke in a panicked manner. Though it could only be seen in her eyes, the rest of her expression remained neutral.  
  
''Hey, I missed you this afternoon,'' Luke said, as he automatically reached for the coffee pot.  
  
''Ah honey, I told you I had to work this afternoon,'' Lorelai answered.  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai. ''I was referring to Rory.''  
  
''She didn't come here after school ? You didn't come here after school ?'' Lorelai asked, facing Rory.  
  
Rory shook her head and took the cup of coffee that Luke handed to her.  
  
''No.''  
  
''How can you say that in such a casual manner, when we're talking about Luke's ? A well-known Gilmore tradition.''  
  
''I knew it ran in the family,'' Luke said, as he handed Lorelai her cup of coffee.  
  
''Mom, it's no big deal.''  
  
''Right, and a nuclear bomb isn't a big deal either. It's just a loud bang.''  
  
Rory sighed, feeling even more guilty about breaking 'tradition.'  
  
''I just went straight home instead of stopping by Luke's first,'' Rory explained once more.  
  
''What were you thinking ? Binky doesn't even properly work.''  
  
''Binky ?'' Luke asked.  
  
Rory buried her head in her hands. ''I didn't go to Luke's, because Dean offered to walk me home,'' she mumbled.  
  
''A bean coughed on its way to Rome ?'' Lorelai asked.  
  
Rory looked up and met her mom's twinkling eyes. ''Dean, mom.''  
  
''So, Dean coughed on his way to Rome ?''  
  
''No, Dean offered to walk me home after school,'' Rory said.  
  
''Ah...........Dean,'' Lorelai said, with a satisfied smile on her face.  
  
Rory glared at her mom. ''Say it.''  
  
''Say what ?''  
  
''The stupid rhyme you've made up for situations like these, even though I have never been in one before.''  
  
''If you insist,'' Lorelai said, putting down her coffee. ''Once upon a time there was a prince named Dean, who swept Rory off her feet and asked her to be his queen.''  
  
Luke looked over at Lorelai. ''Sometimes I wonder how you ran an Inn with the mind of a 5-year-old.''  
  
''With a lot of crayons and imagination, my friend.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory enjoyed the breeze that protectively wrapped around her on her way over to the basketball court. It made her feel safe and aware of the fact that she wasn't the only one had decided to take a late night stroll.  
  
When she reached the basketball court, she was a little surprised at the fact that it was already being occupied by someone else. At first she didn't recognize the figure, but as soon as she took a few more steps towards it, she realized that it was Jess. Partly because she identified his dark hair, that was still even darker than the shadows the night threw upon the earth.  
  
She slowly brought her eyes up to his face and found his dark brown eyes glimmering back at her. Almost instantaneously she lowered her eyes to the ball in her hands, missing the smirk that now accompanied his gleaming eyes.  
  
''Hey,'' she said, bringing her eyes up again.  
  
Jess nodded at her and turned around, so his back was facing her. Rory followed his movements, as he brought his arms up above his head. She even noticed the way he flexed his muscles when he concentrated. When he threw the ball, she wasn't even surprised to see that it flawlessly went into the basket, not even touching the net.  
  
Jess went to get the ball and walked up to her.  
  
''You wanna play some one on one ?''  
  
''Are you sure you're up for it ?'' Rory asked, receiving a look from Jess immediately afterwards.  
  
Jess threw the ball at her, causing her to drop her own in order to catch his.  
  
''So.......Dean ?'' Jess started.  
  
''Other subject please,'' Rory said, as she threw the ball back at Jess.  
  
''So............Binky ?'' Jess asked, raising one eyebrow.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know, not a chapter to be writing home about, but I am trying here. And I have tests and school (which sucks btw!), so please be patient ? Thanks again for everything! :-) 


	8. It's on!

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) I know, you can hardly believe your eyes, right ? But I this is definitely not a mirage or something like that, this is an actual update! :-) And it's pretty long too! :-) What's the occassion you might ask ? Well, the fact that I'm done with tests for a couple of weeks seemed like a pretty good occassion to me. So, if you're still reading this, enjoy! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory made her way over to the court, with one hand casually stuffed in her back pocket while she was cradling her basketball with the other. She had found that dribbling through town on a Saturday afternoon wasn't something that Taylor appreciated. Though she had seen Jess dribbling his old basketball in front of Taylor's Market, with an all-knowing smirk, when she passed it a couple of minutes ago.  
  
Rory smiled as she took her first couple of steps on to the court. Sometimes she would pretend that there were bleachers all around her, filled with people cheering her on, like she was some famous basketball player. She knew she would never become one, she was too short. But there were always her dreams. When Rory made her way on to the court even further, she was surprised to see that someone else had already beaten her to her favorite spot on the court. Of course there wasn't a rule written anywhere that said that no one else beside her was allowed on this court, especially since this was the only basketball court in Stars Hollow, but she would like to think that they had to earn their spot on this court. But those thoughts were erased as soon as she was close enough to see who it was.  
  
''Dean ?''  
  
Dean immediately stopped dribbling and turned around to look at Rory, who was standing right behind him.  
  
''Rory.'' A smile found its way onto his face. ''What are you doing here ?''  
  
Rory stopped herself from giving him one of her 'are you kidding' looks and held up her ball instead. Dean followed her gesture and his smile turned into a boyish grin.  
  
''You play basketball,'' he stated.  
  
Rory nodded. ''And you do too, apparently.''  
  
''Yeah, there isn't a lot to do here.''  
  
''Wait until you've lived here practically all your life.''  
  
Dean smiled once more. ''So, how good are you ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I'm okay, I guess.''  
  
''You wanna show me ?''  
  
''I rather not.''  
  
''Why not ?''  
  
''I might bruise your ego,'' Rory answered playfully.  
  
''I think I can handle it.''  
  
''Fine,'' Rory said. ''But remember that I didn't wanna do this and that I had no bruising of the ego intentions.''  
  
Dean nodded and took a couple of steps back, so Rory had the room she needed. She dribbled the ball a few times, before firmly gripping the ball and lifting it above her head. Then she bend her knees and brought her arms down with her. When she found her aiming point, she straightened her legs and threw the ball in the direction of the basket. She smiled when it went in after slightly touching the basket.  
  
''So, how's your ego ?'' Rory asked, as she glanced at Dean over her shoulder.  
  
''A little sore.''  
  
Rory went to get her ball with a barely visible hint of satisfaction on her face. After she got her ball, she headed back over to Dean.  
  
''Where did you learn to shoot like that ?''  
  
''Years of practice,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Good, cause if you were a born natural then I would really have something to worry about.''  
  
Rory modestly smiled, as her eyes lowered themselves down to the court. Her attitude was hidden underneath her self-consciousness and shyness. She wondered silently why this never seemed to happen with Jess. Maybe because his compliments always seemed so casual and subtle. While Dean's, on the other hand, were so obvious. She was used to getting compliments about her skills and sharpness on the court, but for some reason the attention she was getting right now felt different.  
  
When she looked up at Dean again, she realized how close they were standing to each other. Their upper bodies were only inches apart and she could feel his breath against her face every time he exhaled. She wondered why they were still not saying a word, but at the same time she didn't wanna break their closeness. Unfortunately for her, someone else did.  
  
''Hey,'' Jess said, who had spotted Rory and Dean's position out of the corner of his eyes. ''Hope I'm not getting in between.''  
  
Rory automatically took a few steps back, until she and Dean had a safe distance between them. She found Jess' eyes with her own and saw a hint of something there, that she couldn't quite name.  
  
''Jess, no, we were just playing some basketball.''  
  
''Really ?'' Jess asked, raising one of his eyebrows. ''I never knew you could play one on one with two balls.''  
  
Rory's cheeks turned a faint red, as she returned her eyes to the court. It was safer than letting her eyes wander around the court, not knowing which person she was going to bump in to next.  
  
''So, Dean, I didn't know you played,'' Jess said, as he approached Dean and Rory.  
  
Dean shrugged. ''Now you know.''  
  
Jess nodded. ''I play too. And since we both play, I was thinking we could have a little friendly competition ?''  
  
''Jess,'' Rory warned.  
  
''Sure,'' Dean answered.  
  
Jess' lips formed themselves into a crooked smirk, as he observed Dean, taking in his length. Rory sighed and walked over to Jess. Rory took Jess' ball and gave him a look before walking off to the side of the court. Dean threw his ball towards Jess, who easily caught it and threw it back.  
  
''You start,'' Jess said.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After about thirty minutes the game had come to an expected end. Jess had won from Dean with twelve points and he wasn't even trying to contain his satisfaction.  
  
''Nice game,'' Jess said, with a smirk lingering upon his lips. ''We should play once more.''  
  
''Actually I should be heading home,'' Dean said, as he picked up his basketball. ''It was nice meeting you, Jess..........''  
  
''Same here, and don't worry about losing. It was just one game, besides, not everyone is born to be a basketball star.''  
  
''Guess not. Bye Rory.''  
  
''Bye Dean,'' Rory said, as she watched him leave the court.  
  
As soon as Dean was out of sight, she turned around and glared at Jess. ''Why did you do that ?''  
  
Jess shrugged. ''It's a small town and I was bored.''  
  
Rory glanced at him once more, before turning around and leaving.  
  
Jess got a little angry at his reaction this afternoon, but he couldn't resist the temptation to show Dean his place. Ever since he saw Dean, he knew that he would never stand a chance against him on the court. He knew only enough basketball to beat other guys just like him and impress the girls, who had never seen a basketball game before. Jess, on the other hand, had been playing basketball ever since he had been old enough to skip school. He knew how to play, and more importantly, he knew that he could beat guys like Dean with his eyes closed.  
  
Jess pondered if he was starting to like Rory a little too much ? Wasn't he turning in to one of those guys who wanted to impress girls on the court ? Of course, Rory hadn't been impressed when he had beaten Dean, but he had still gotten satisfaction out of the fact that she had been watching them. Out of the fact that she had watched Dean lose.  
  
Jess knew that his little showdown had been the reaction of his uncontrollable jealousy, when he had seen Rory standing so close to Dean. He knew what had been going through Dean's mind right at that moment, cause when he was alone with Rory, the same thoughts, feelings, ran through his mind. He enjoyed their closeness during a basketball game. He would always purposely linger in her body heat a little longer than necessary.  
  
Jess groaned and tightened his grip on his ball, until his fingers hurt. He lifted the ball above his head and shot. This time he missed the basket completely.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Lorelai got home that late afternoon, she found Rory sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, staring at the lived coffee table in front of her.  
  
''Let me guess, girl sitting on couch, staring at table, being mad,'' Lorelai said, as she threw both her purse and keys on the dresser.  
  
''Wrong.''  
  
''Really ?''  
  
''It's girl sitting on couch, staring at table, being confused,'' Rory said.  
  
''Could have fooled me.''  
  
Lorelai walked over to the couch and sat down next to her daughter. ''So, what's the cause of this confusion ?''  
  
''The basketball court,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Oh, right, the basketball court.''  
  
An anticipating silence fell between them for a couple of seconds.  
  
''You've gotta give me more than that,'' Lorelai said.  
  
Rory sighed. ''Dean and I were playing basketball and then out of nowhere Jess shows up and challenges Dean to a one on one game.''  
  
''Who won ?''  
  
''Jess, of course. I mean Dean's a good ballplayer, but Jess is........''  
  
''......jealous,'' Lorelai interrupted.  
  
Rory stopped staring at the coffee table and looked at her mom. ''What ?''  
  
''Okay, pay attention, Jess is jealous of you and Dean.''  
  
''There is no me and Dean,'' Rory protested. ''We were just playing ball.''  
  
''Like you and Jess have just been playing ball.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
''Isn't basketball a touchy feely kinda sport ?'' Lorelai asked.  
  
Rory groaned and hid her face in one of the small pillows.  
  
''What exactly have you been doing with those boys ?''  
  
Rory looked up at her mom and made a face. ''Mom.......''  
  
''What ? I mean, come on let's play some one on one ? That doesn't sound even remotely dirty to you ?''  
  
Rory threw the small pillow aside and got up.  
  
''Where are you going ?''  
  
''Dean's,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Why ?''  
  
''To apologize for Jess' behavior.''  
  
''Right, meet me at Luke's after your little rendezvous.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory rang the doorbell once more. It hadn't been that hard to find Dean's house, but now that she was here she wished that she could use the fact that she couldn't find his house as an excuse. But as soon as the door opened, she knew that it was too late to run.  
  
''Rory.........hey.''  
  
''Hey, is this a bad time ?''  
  
Dean shook his head and leaned against the doorframe. ''What can I do for you ?''  
  
''Actually nothing. I mean, there's something I can do for you. And even though that sounds a little dirty, I didn't mean anything by it............,'' Rory rambled, while a blush was coloring her cheeks.  
  
Dean didn't say anything and just looked at her, though his eyes were shining with amusement.  
  
''I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier.......with Jess,'' Rory said, after she took a deep breath. ''He's a little on the competitive side.''  
  
''I noticed.''  
  
Rory looked up at Dean. ''I'm really sorry.''  
  
''I know, but thanks for saying it again though.''  
  
Rory smiled. ''I better go, I'm supposed to meet my mom at Luke's.''  
  
Dean nodded. ''Okay.''  
  
Rory started to turn around, but was forced to stop when Dean grabbed her arm.  
  
''You wanna hear me apologize again ?''  
  
Dean smirked. ''Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to hang with me some time ?''  
  
''Hang with you some time ?'' Rory asked, hiding her excitement.  
  
''Yeah, the hanging part would be at some spot and the time would probably be during the night,'' Dean explained.  
  
''Ah......got it.''  
  
''So.............?''  
  
''Sure, I would love to hang with you some time at some spot,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Okay.'' Dean smiled. ''How about I call you later with the details ?''  
  
''Okay...........I have to go.''  
  
Dean let go of her arm. ''Bye Rory.''  
  
''Night.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
At Luke's, Rory spotted her mom sitting at one of the tables and headed over there with a stomach full of butterflies.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory said, as she sat down.  
  
''Hey sweets, how did the apologizing go ?''  
  
''Okay.''  
  
''Good......... Finally !''  
  
Luke shot Lorelai a look. ''You two are not my only customers, you know ?''  
  
''I know, but we are definitely your only customers who have to wait for their coffee so long,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''You just walked in, Lorelai. And so did she.''  
  
''Yeah, but as soon as we walk in, it's your job to serve us coffee as fast as you can. Put on a cape if you have to.''  
  
''Again I say, you two are not my only customers,'' Luke said.  
  
''What do you mean ?'' Lorelai asked innocently.  
  
''I think he means that all of these people who are not us, are his customers too and therefor deserve the same type of service,'' Rory said.  
  
''You're lying,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''What makes you say that ?''  
  
''Cause I refuse to believe that all those people are just as special as us. I mean, those two over there are drinking water, and people who drink water are obviously not as special as us.''  
  
Luke sighed. ''Two coffees and a couple of sedatives coming up.''  
  
''Just as long as you put them in my coffee,'' Lorelai said sweetly.  
  
Lorelai laughed and returned her attention to Rory. ''So, how did the apologizing go ?''  
  
''You already asked that,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''Right, it's just the lack of coffee. My memory's one big blur.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''Mom...........''  
  
''Yeah ?''  
  
''He asked me out.''  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory for a while, before suddenly getting up.  
  
''Where are you going ?'' Rory asked.  
  
''The counter.''  
  
''What's wrong with this table ?''  
  
Lorelai shook her head. ''Nothing, but if Dean calls wouldn't it be easier if you were at home where you can actually answer the phone instead of here where you cant ?''  
  
''Let's go,'' Rory said, as she got up and followed her mom to the counter.  
  
*~*~*  
  
As soon as Lorelai closed the door behind them, the phone rang. Rory immediately made a dash for the phone, but Lorelai stopped her.  
  
''You can never seem too eager. You have to be cool.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''And as slow as a turtle.''  
  
Lorelai stuck out her tongue before disappearing in to the kitchen. As soon as she did, Rory ran to get the phone and dropped herself on the couch, exhausted.  
  
''Hello ?''  
  
''......Rory ?''  
  
''Yeah........''  
  
''Hey.''  
  
''Hey, Dean,'' Rory said.  
  
''Are you okay ?''  
  
''Oh yeah, I just ran a marathon. They can be really tiring,'' Rory explained.  
  
''O...kay. I have the details, if you're interested.''  
  
''Definitely,'' Rory said, kicking herself for sounding so eager.  
  
''How would you like to go to the arcade with me tomorrow night ?''  
  
''Tomorrow's Sunday,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
''And this is Stars Hollow,'' Dean reminded her.  
  
Rory smiled. ''You're new in town and already you know the Stars Hollow rule book better than me.''  
  
''The Stars Hollow rule book ?''  
  
''Yeah, Taylor sends one to every new citizen in Stars Hollow. Unless Kirk loses it of course.''  
  
''Kirk ?'' Dean asked.  
  
''Our mail man.''  
  
''I'll remember that. So, what do you say ?''  
  
''I say, I have nothing better to do tomorrow night,'' Rory answered.  
  
''Glad to know you can make some time for me in your busy schedule.''  
  
Rory laughed.  
  
''So, I'll pick you up at 7.30 ?''  
  
''What's wrong with 7.29 ?''  
  
''I'll see you tomorrow, Rory.''  
  
''Bye Dean,'' Rory said, before hanging up.  
  
''So ?'' Lorelai asked, as she sat down next to Rory.  
  
''We're going out tomorrow.''  
  
''On Sunday ? What about the clothes ? We can't buy you a new outfit on a Sunday. Stores in normal towns aren't open on a Sunday.''  
  
''Mom, I don't need new clothes,'' Rory said.  
  
''No, I guess you're right. An arcade is date-ish, not necessarily a date date. However, we can make it a little less date-ish and a bit more date date by borrowing my clothes,'' Lorelai suggested.  
  
''Mom, I'm not dressing up. We're just going to an arcade, nothing fancy.''  
  
''Unless it's one of those fancy ones, you know, the ones where butlers follow you around to carry your coins.''  
  
''Yeah, and maybe there'll be unicorns too and Martians,'' Rory said, as she got up. ''I'm going to play some basketball.''  
  
''If you see any Martians out there, tell them that I'm the one who send them all that fan-mail.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
As Rory passed the court, she knew that Jess would probably be there. Lately it always seemed as if he was there. Normally she didn't mind his company, but tonight she wasn't really looking forward to running in to him. Especially not after what happened this afternoon. She knew that he challenged Dean to a game only so he could prove to himself and her that he would win. Rory had already known that Jess would win. Dean was indeed an athlete, but you could tell that he hadn't been practicing as long as they had. She had seen that by the way he was so impressed when she made the shot this afternoon.  
  
She walked onto the bridge, knowing that Jess was at the basketball court. Since she didn't feel like joining him, she had taken her ball to the bridge instead. It wasn't her first choice, but it was definitely a good second. She sat down on the wooden boards and dangled her legs over the edge of the bridge. As she sat there, she started to spin her ball in her hands, at the same speed her thoughts were running through her head.  
  
It wasn't entirely dark yet, so the sounds of the night hadn't crawled out of the shadows yet. That's why she could hear the footsteps clearly, as they made the boards of the bridge creak, while coming her way. Rory sighed and lowered her eyes to the ball in her hands, already knowing who it was, since no one else ever came here.  
  
As the footsteps stopped, so did the spinning of Rory's basketball. She waited in silence as he sat down and also threw his legs over the edge of the bridge.  
  
''What are you doing here ?'' she asked, as she turned her head sideways, so she could glance in Jess' direction.  
  
''I got sick of waiting for you at the basketball court.''  
  
''Should I feel honored now ?'' Rory sarcastically asked.  
  
It was amazing how her mood could change when Jess was around. Unlike when she was around Dean, her shyness and insecurities were pushed aside by her attitude.  
  
''You're angry,'' Jess stated.  
  
''I just don't get why you............''  
  
''Cause I know guys like Dean,'' Jess interrupted.  
  
''Guys like Dean,'' Rory repeated.  
  
''He'll only find you interesting for a while, cause he won't respect the fact that you're so smart.''  
  
Rory met Jess' eyes briefly, before getting up. ''Luckily I don't need your approval to hang out, with guys like Dean.''  
  
And with that she left, leaving Jess with an expressionless look in his eyes, his emotions still hidden in the shadows.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) So, gotten over the shock yet ? And you guys still follow this story ? Do you guys still follow why Jess is acting the way he is ? And yes, no Rory/Jess interaction yet (!), but give me a break, I'm trying to keep the basic plot in mind here. And the Litness will appear not in the next chapter, but in the chapter after that. You guys are still reading, right ? Thanks for everything!!! :-) 


	9. A Doubtful Triangle

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) You can open your eyes now, this is another chapter! And it took me a little less time to update than last time. And you know what I've just realized ? That I really love to write, even if it's not as good as some authors on this site. And that maybe I do have some talent. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The next morning, Rory woke up with a headache. The result of a restless night that had been full with tossing and turning and seconds that seemed hours when she had found herself lying awake. Her mind had been processing thoughts all night, sometimes even causing her to wake up out of her dreamless sleep. And while she had been lying in bed, with her eyes closed, trying to force herself to go back to sleep, she had subconsciously known that she wouldn't be able to find peace until she had studied every thought and made up a believable answer that she would be satisfied with.  
  
Rory moaned as she sat up straight, her hair falling in front of her face, trying to block out reality, shielding her from the light and the day that lay behind her window. Suddenly she got an urge to talk to someone. Maybe talking would help her figure out the meaning of her thoughts and untangle the few, yet incessant doubts.  
  
She grabbed the end of her curtain and pulled it up, squinting her bedroom eyes at the amount of light they met. When she saw that her mom's jeep wasn't in the driveway, she sighed and released the curtain. If she didn't talk to someone her thoughts would keep haunting her throughout the day.  
  
She laid back down on the bed and stared at the plain ceiling for a minute, before reaching for the phone, which was lying on her bedside table. Her mom always put it there when she had to leave before Rory had risen yet. Lorelai said that it gave her a safe feeling, knowing that she could reach her daughter whenever she wanted. Which she took a little literally sometimes, calling her every free minute she had, just to complain about Michel and Sookie's frustrating cooking tactics. Rory quickly touched the digits she needed and rested the phone upon her ear.  
  
''Kim's Antiques. Everything's old and breakable, so you break, you buy.''  
  
''Mrs. Kim, it's Rory, may I...........''  
  
''Rory who ?'' Mrs. Kim interrupted.  
  
''Rory Gilmore.''  
  
''You should always say your entire name. That way I won't be confused and know for sure that you're Rory and not...............''  
  
''Gilmore,'' Rory said quickly, not sure yet if she was mocking Mrs. Kim or not.  
  
''What ?''  
  
''Nothing.''  
  
''It's rude to interrupt people in the middle of their conversation,'' Mrs. Kim said in a disciplinary voice.  
  
''Right, sorry. May I please speak to Lane ?''  
  
''We just got back from church. She might still be praying.''  
  
''Please, I need to talk to her about something.''  
  
''About what ?'' Mrs. Kim asked, not even trying to hide the suspicion in her voice.  
  
''Well.........uhm.....,'' Rory started, trying to give herself some time to come up with a convincing answer. ''I was reading a magazine and I saw this picture, a biblical picture. But I don't really know which story it represents, so I thought I could describe it to Lane and she could help me.''  
  
''What's the name of this magazine ?''  
  
''I don't really remember. Lane lend it to me.........''  
  
''Ah, must be 'Heaven's Gate','' Mrs. Kim said, a pleased tone finding its way into her voice.  
  
''Yes, 'Heaven's Gate'.''  
  
''Fine, you may talk to Lane. Understanding those pictures and connecting them to the right story is difficult.''  
  
''Thank you,'' Rory uttered.  
  
She heard Mrs. Kim's rapid footsteps on the stairs, as she made her way to Lane's room. When she knocked on the door, it took Lane a couple of seconds to open the door. Rory knew that she had probably been listening to her favorite rock band of this week, instead of praying.  
  
''It's Rory. Maybe she wants to go to church with us some time ?'' Rory heard Mrs. Kim say, smiling at the thought of Lane's confused face.  
  
''Rory Gilmore ?''  
  
''Yes.''  
  
''Maybe. Thanks mama.''  
  
As soon as the door closed behind Mrs. Kim, Rory heard Lane's bemused voice on the other end of the line. ''Church ?''  
  
''Heaven's Gate ?'' Rory shot back.  
  
''I know.'' Lane sighed. ''Could my life be any more pathetic ?''  
  
''Religion's not pathetic.''  
  
''Believe me, me being able to quote practically the entire bible isn't impressive to anyone except Mama Kim.''  
  
''Hey, I can quote Shakespeare,'' Rory said, trying to reassure her friend.  
  
''Yeah, but we don't read the bible for English Literature.''  
  
''Good point.''  
  
''So, what's the reason of you interrupting my oh so important prayer ?'' Lane asked, the sarcasm evident in her intonation.  
  
''I just have to talk to someone and my mom wasn't here so........''  
  
''I was your second choice ?'' Lane asked, trying to sound offended.  
  
''My very first second choice.''  
  
''You've got five minutes while I think of a story that could be stuffed into one picture.''  
  
''It's about Dean..............and Jess,'' Rory admitted.  
  
''A love triangle, how dramatic.''  
  
''It's not a triangle, it's a...........straight line.''  
  
''What happened ?'' Lane curiously asked.  
  
''Well, Dean asked me out...........''  
  
''When ?!''  
  
''Yesterday,'' Rory answered.  
  
''And you lost your capability to dial ?''  
  
''I was confused,'' came Rory's explanation.  
  
''Obviously.''  
  
''Anyway, Dean asked me out, but when I saw Jess again he made this weird comment about Dean not appreciating how smart I am..........''  
  
''Conceited,'' was Lane's quick response.  
  
Rory however ignored Lane's interruption and continued with her clarification. ''.......and how he knows guys like Dean. Knows guys like Dean ? What does he mean by that ? He hardly even knows Dean.''  
  
''Unless they have met in another life before, I would say that Mr.Tactic is green with envy of the-boy-next-door, literally.''  
  
''No......... Jess and me just play basketball and talk......occasionally,'' Rory defended.  
  
''How often do you play basketball ?''  
  
''Every night.''  
  
''And Jess is there every night too ?''  
  
''Yes.''  
  
''Think about it, Rory. A basketball court at night with only the two of you......... it's the perfect scene for a could be date. Also known as the pre-date,'' Lane explained.  
  
''Lane.......... a pre-date ? There's no such thing as a pre-date.''  
  
''If there's a magazine that actually has a game which goal is to connect a picture to a story, then there's definitely a pre-date, trust me.''  
  
''But that doesn't make any sense, I mean he's not........and I'm not...........and then there's Dean,'' Rory rambled.  
  
''Sounds like a triangle to me.''  
  
''How can there be a triangle when the third party doesn't know about any of this yet ?''  
  
''Because the third party, which can either be you or Jess, is in denial,'' Lane said, stretching the last word.  
  
''So........what do I do ?''  
  
''Trace those lines,'' was Lane's cryptic response.  
  
''Okay, thanks,'' Rory said, not quite understanding Lane's answer.  
  
''Any time.''  
  
''I'll talk to you later.''  
  
''Sure, we'll make plans for church.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Rory entered Luke's, she nearly collided with Jess, who was taking someone's order. His closeness caused her to feel even more confused about the conversation she had just had with Lane and it even caused her to have doubts about her date tonight. She still wasn't sure if there even was a triangle. If there was, she hadn't witnessed the connection of the three lines. She had possibly remained purposely blind, not wanting to create any more tension between her and Jess. She liked their relationship as it was. It was safe and as of yet there were no strings attached.  
  
Jess acknowledged her presence with a slight nod of his head, catching her by surprise, since she thought that they weren't speaking after the words they had exchanged last night. And technically they weren't. Rory closed the door and leaned against it, as she looked around the diner for her mother, knowing that there was a large chance that she would be here. At the same time, she gave Jess more space to move. By the time she spotted her mother, Jess was already on his way back to the counter. Rory shot him one more look, before letting go of the door and heading over to the table her mom was occupying.  
  
''So, your feet couldn't manage to walk the ten steps to Luke ?'' Rory asked, as she sat down across from her mom, hoping that their conversation would distract her from her thoughts.  
  
''I can explain. Apparently I had been sleepwalking last night, cause when I woke up I found myself sitting in front of the steering wheel.''  
  
''Then how come you aren't wearing your pajamas ?''  
  
Lorelai lowered her gaze to her shirt. ''Well...........I always keep a spare change of clothes in the jeep.''  
  
''Since when ?''  
  
''Since that day.''  
  
''What day ?'' Rory asked.  
  
''The....eh....day before that night when we were supposed to be at my mother's house at seven, but we.......uhm.......were late, but we still had to go home to change, therefore being even more late. And I never wanted that to happen again, so.''  
  
''Amazing how you're able to lie to your own daughter like that,'' Rory commented.  
  
''I had years to practice on my mom and dad. So, are you excited about your date ?'' Lorelai asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Jess didn't even blink when he walked passed their table, but inside he had lost all control. Last night at the bridge it had been clear that there had been something that she had left unsaid. And though he had already suspected that she was going on a date with Dean, hearing it made him even more frustrated.  
  
''Could I have some orange juice ?'' Kirk asked, when Jess reached the counter.  
  
Jess didn't pay any attention to Kirk and just slammed the coffeepot down on the counter.  
  
''I changed my mind, coffee's fine too.''  
  
''I'm taking my break now,'' Jess said to Luke, as he came out of the back.  
  
Without waiting for his approval, Jess grabbed his jacked, which contained a book and his cigarettes, and left the diner. Luke shook his head, as he walked over to the door to close it. The first day Jess got here, he really wanted to figure him out, but now he realized that Jess' persona was much more complicated than he had thought. Luke turned around and walked over to Lorelai and Rory's table, to take their order.  
  
''Where's he going ?'' Lorelai asked, unable to remain quiet.  
  
''He probably couldn't contain his nicotine craving anymore.''  
  
''He smokes ?!'' Lorelai asked with disbelief.  
  
''Apparently. Now, what can I get you two ?''  
  
''Another coffee. What about you, sweets ? Want some brunch ?''  
  
''Actually, could you take a coffee with you when you go home. I just remembered that I still have a report to write for Monday.''  
  
''Yeah, sure,'' Lorelai said, not asking an questions, cause she already knew where Rory was going.  
  
''Thanks. I'll see you at home. Bye Luke,'' Rory said, before getting up and leaving the diner.  
  
Rory headed for the bridge, figuring that he wouldn't be going to the basketball court without his ball. When she reached the shielded location, she found him sitting near the end, holding a cigarette between his fingers that wasn't lit. Before she even said a thing, he turned his head and looked at her. Rory didn't lower her eyes, but did feel uncomfortable under the weight of his eyes.  
  
''Can I talk to you ?'' she asked, taking another step towards him.  
  
''Isn't that what you're already doing ?''  
  
Rory never liked it when people answered a question with another question, it never seemed to get you anywhere. It just left you with a bunch of riddles that you had to figure out on your own.  
  
''Jess, can we talk, please ?'' she tried again.  
  
''Would my answer matter ? You don't care about my opinion, remember ?''  
  
Rory watched him as he took out his lighter and lighted the cigarette.  
  
''I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it. I'm just..........confused.''  
  
''Confused ?'' Jess asked, after taking a drag of his cigarette. ''About what ?''  
  
''About you, and me...........and Dean,'' Rory said, hating how much it did sound like a triangle.  
  
''That's a lot of confusion.''  
  
''Jess................''  
  
Jess locked eyes with Rory. ''You're not going to get an apology.'' He averted his eyes away from her, missing the frustrated expression on Rory's face. She turned around and headed in the opposite direction without saying a word. She hadn't been fishing for an apology, but she had been hoping for a little compassion and maybe a glimpse of..........something.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''You look..........the same,'' Lorelai said, as she took in Rory's appearance. ''Sweetie, changing is when you actually put on another pair of clothes.''  
  
''I'm not changing anymore. I'm sick of changing,'' Rory said, as she dropped herself on her mom's bed. ''Besides all these clothes look weird..........''  
  
''You've just hurt their feelings and now they'll take it out on me.''  
  
''Their clothes, how will they take it out on you ?''  
  
''They'll suddenly become too tight or purposely shrink or something,'' Lorelai explained, as she sat down next to her daughter.  
  
''That's why you don't do laundry.''  
  
Lorelai stuck out her tongue at Rory. ''Are you sure you don't want to try on something else ?''  
  
''No,'' Rory said. ''We're just going to an arcade, nothing fancy...........''  
  
''So, you've said.''  
  
Downstairs the doorbell rang. Lorelai patted Rory on the leg before getting up. ''Let's open the door before your date thinks that you're standing him up.''  
  
''What about the clothes ?''  
  
''Leave them. It just makes the bed softer.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and followed her mom downstairs. For some reason she wasn't nervous. She didn't know what it meant not to be nervous for a date, cause both her mom and Lane told her that being nervous is the most important thing of a date. Rory shrugged and followed her mom to the door, which she had already opened.  
  
''Hey Dean. New watch ?'' Lorelai asked, as she glanced down at Dean's watch.  
  
''Excuse me ?''  
  
''Never mind my mom. She's obsessed with watched.''  
  
''Yeah, I own fifty-three,'' Lorelai chipped in.  
  
''Okay............are you ready ?'' he asked Rory.  
  
''Yeah, let's go.''  
  
''Have her home by 11.30 okay ? You have a watch, so I don't expect you to be late.''  
  
''Sure, it was nice meeting you,'' Dean said.  
  
''I'll be sitting at home staring at my fifty-three watches, so when you're late, I'll know.''  
  
''Bye mom,'' Rory said, before pulling Dean outside and closing the door.  
  
Dean put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. ''So, you look.........normal.''  
  
''Yeah, thanks,'' Rory said, a little taken back by his choice of words.  
  
''Shall we go ?''  
  
''Lead the way.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory sighed as the pinball machine lighted up again. By now she couldn't stand the ringing noise of it anymore. She had been standing behind this machine ever since they had entered the arcade. She had thought that Dean was a little shy, so she didn't mind, thinking that he would approach her after one or two games, but he didn't. They hadn't talked all night.  
  
Rory walked over to the small eating area, deciding to get a drink. As she sat down at the counter and ordered a milkshake, she gave Dean one more chance to redeem himself. She didn't exactly know how dates were supposed to go, since this was her first one, but she was pretty sure that spending time on separate sides of the arcade wasn't a good sign.  
  
She put some change on the counter and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake, thinking that this was the high point of her evening. Though she liked the arcade, she wished that she had stayed home tonight, so she could play a little one on one with Jess. But as soon as she thought that, she realized that there was still some tension between her and Jess. And maybe she wasn't being fair towards Dean. Maybe he hadn't talked to her all night, because he was too busy having fun. Rory shook her head at how lame that sounded and looked at her watch. 11.17. She quickly finished her milkshake and scanned the room for Dean. She was more than surprised to see him talking to a girl, who was only a couple of inches shorter than Dean.  
  
Rory got up and walked over to them. ''Dean..........''  
  
Dean stopped talking and looked at Rory, as if he was realizing that she was still here.  
  
''Rory, this is Christy.''  
  
''Hi,'' Rory quickly said, before returning her attention to Dean. ''I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I have to get home.''  
  
Dean nodded. ''That's cool. I'll walk you. See you around, Christy.''  
  
''Bye, see you around, Dean.''  
  
Rory couldn't help but glance at Christy once more, before following Dean outside.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''So, you had fun ?''  
  
''Yeah,'' Rory lied. ''You ?''  
  
Dean shrugged and smiled at her. ''I always have fun at an arcade.''  
  
As Rory saw his childish smile, she forgot about the horrible evening for a few minutes. Instead she started to think of the scenes she had seen in movies, that resembled their position right now. The end of a date. When Dean took a step towards her, she thought that he would kiss her, but instead he just awkwardly hugged her.  
  
''I'll call you.''  
  
''Yeah, night.''  
  
''Bye,'' Dean said, as he put his hands in his pockets and left.  
  
Suddenly Rory remembered something Lane told her. Guys never mean it when they say that they'll call you. It's a facade, they're just being nice. Then another thought crossed her mind. Did she even want him to call her........  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know, no Lit action yet, but I really wanna stay true to the plot (if there is one) and not rush in to things. Which you all know by now. But things will be evolving in the next chapter. I hope you guys are still reading. Thanks again for leaving such nice reviews!!! :-) 


	10. Formal

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) Another chapter. I personally think that this one is better than the last one, though I can never really tell, since everything I write sucks in my eyes. So......I hope it's readble and that you guys enjoy it. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory's eyelashes fluttered, as quick as the beating of the fragile wings of a iridescent hummingbird. She had the feeling that someone was watching her, their eyes prying into her flesh, making her aware of another lingering presence. Rory opened her eyes just enough, so she could see the blurry outline of someone hovering over her.  
  
''Mom ?'' she asked, while she opened her eyes further, causing clear lines and a variety of colors to appear.  
  
''What are you doing, hovering over me like you always see the surgeons do with their patients on TV ?''  
  
''Almost twenty words and it's still early,'' Lorelai commented, sounding unusually awake for this early in the morning.  
  
Rory moaned and stretched her arm, so she could point at her alarm clock. ''What does it say ?''  
  
''Though clocks can't speak, it says 5.45 AM.''  
  
''Hence the question, what are you doing here ?'' Rory asked, the sleepiness obvious in her incoherent words.  
  
''I couldn't sleep.''  
  
''And you got the sudden urge to watch me sleep ?''  
  
''You're not sleeping,'' Lorelai pointed out.  
  
''Which is a result of your hovering.''  
  
''I was just checking up on you,'' Lorelai explained.  
  
Rory sighed. ''Why ?''  
  
''Because I was concerned.''  
  
''About my sleeping habits........?'' Rory asked, in an annoyed tone.  
  
''Now you're just being moody.''  
  
Rory reached for her alarm clock, grabbed it and held it up so her mom could see. ''It's 5.46 AM.''  
  
''Ooooo look at the pretty numbers.''  
  
Rory dropped her arm and sighed once more. ''What do you want ?''  
  
''I wanted to know how your date with Dean went.''  
  
Rory turned her head and looked up at her mom. ''Now ?''  
  
''It was your first date,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''Fine, it was.............''  
  
''Mind blowing ?'' Lorelai asked, interrupting Rory.  
  
''..........okay.''  
  
''Oh, well he did take you to an arcade, not exactly the background for a great-ish kinda date.''  
  
''Can I go back to sleep now ?'' Rory moaned, as she turned onto her side and closed her eyes.  
  
''Yeah............hey, did he kiss you ?''  
  
''Mom, my eyes are closed and soon my brain won't be able to form meaningful sentences anymore.''  
  
''Right, go back to sleep this is just a dream.''  
  
Rory waited for her mom to leave the room, before opening her eyes again. She knew she hadn't really lied to her mom, since the date could be considered as okay. She had to admit that she did enjoy playing pinball for the first hour and the milkshake had been delicious, even better than Luke's, though she would never tell him. But she also had to admit that the company hadn't exactly been what she had expected.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Rory reached school that morning, she once again walked passed a small group of guys without being bothered. They didn't even look at her. And maybe for some girls that wasn't exactly a compliment, but to Rory is was a relief. She also was pretty sure who she had to thank for that, however she wouldn't, not today, since they hadn't spoken so much as a word to each other after their little conversation at the bridge. Though they hadn't been avoiding each other, but she guessed that it was just too hard to even try to avoid each other in a town like Stars Hollow. Although she had to admit that the thought of avoiding him had never once crossed her mind.  
  
When she reached her locker, she found Lane leaning against it, wearing headphones and bobbing her head to what probably was garage rock or something in that direction. While Rory opened her locker, Lane removed the headphones and looked at her best friend, anticipation clear in her eyes.  
  
''So...........''  
  
''So ?''  
  
Lane rolled her eyes. ''Pay attention to my so's, this was clearly a questioning one, therefore awaiting and expecting an answer.''  
  
''Well, is your so a code for an actual full sentenced question ?''  
  
Lane sighed. ''What's the use of having our own secret language when it's still a secret to you ?''  
  
''Translation please ?''  
  
''How was your date ?''  
  
Rory sighed, as she slammed her locker shut.  
  
''Wow, you and your locker have some serious issues,'' Lane said. ''Everything alright ?''  
  
''Sure.''  
  
''Then what's with the sigh ?''  
  
''I'm just sick of people asking me about my date. What's the big deal ?'' Rory asked.  
  
Lane shrugged. ''Nothing, unless you consider ruining your best friends love life a big deal.''  
  
''Please explain, how my date will ruin your future dates ?''  
  
''Well, since this was your first date, it's your duty as my best friend to tell me about it, so I can evaluate and learn from it. Preventing me from making your mistakes,'' Lane explained.  
  
''Well, I have evaluated it over and over and this is my advice for you, don't ever date.''  
  
Lane crossed her arms and looked at Rory. ''You just wanna keep me from putting myself out on the market, so you can have all the cute guys.''  
  
Rory smiled at her friend's expression. ''I'm sorry, it just turned out to be a disaster.''  
  
''Why ?''  
  
''I spend more than three hours with a pinball machine, who I ended up calling Mr. Ring Ring............''  
  
''Because of the noise,'' Lane stated.  
  
Rory nodded. ''Right, and I think I got pretty attached to him, cause when we left I wanted to take it home with me. Then there was the strawberry milkshake, which was the high point in my pathetic date. And I think Dean actually flirted with another girl, while I was there !''  
  
''Are you sure ?''  
  
''Sure enough to know that he likes Christy better than me.''  
  
''Sounds like he likes girls with artificial brains, you know 'Bake A Brain'. Pop 'em in the oven, wait fifteen minutes and when it's ready you'll have a real looking brain,'' Lane said, trying to cheer Rory up.  
  
''You're mean,'' Rory said, though she couldn't stop herself from softly laughing.  
  
When the bell rang, the two girls headed in opposite directions, giving Rory some time alone, which only made her more unsure of Dean and more sure of Jess' words. What if Dean really didn't like her. What if he found her boring, because she liked to read and didn't like to wear dresses. What if Jess had been right all along ?  
  
*~*~*  
  
By the time lunch had arrived, she had made up her mind to approach Dean and try to talk to him about their date. Didn't seemed like a nice guy, so maybe their was a reason for his neglect. She desperately wanted there to be a reason, just to get rid of the weird feeling in her stomach, as if her emotions were being crumpled up in a small ball. One that would slowly fade as time passed by.  
  
She started to make her way over to where Dean was sitting, pleased that he seemed to be alone. But just as she was close enough for the two of them to make eye contact, a girl, with a face she remembered clearly though she had only seen her for a couple of seconds, sat down next to Dean. She didn't like the bittersweet irony of the fact that the girl apparently went to the same school as them, but Rory hadn't seen her before until they met in the arcade. From Dean's expression she could find not even a hint of dislike for the girl sitting next to him and that made Rory feel even worse. Dean actually enjoyed being with Christy ?!  
  
Rory turned around and left the cafeteria, the weird feeling in her stomach increasing, slowly becoming painful sensation. It was as if someone was plucking out the wings of a butterfly one by one, depriving it from its color and its destiny, to fly. And that sensation would continue until every single one of her butterflies had lost their ability to fly.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After school, Rory headed home as quickly as she could. She made her homework and ending up spending the rest of the afternoon, reading the saddest book she could find, not quite understanding why she was letting the situation get to her so much. It wasn't like her to care about what other people thought of her, however she did try to be liked by everyone. And she couldn't stand the fact that Dean seemed to like Christy better.  
  
Finally Rory just closed the book and decided to go get a cup of coffee at Luke's, knowing that she would find comfort in that simple action yet symbolic action. Ever since she was allowed to have coffee, she went to Luke's with her mom or by herself just to get some. But she would only go to Luke's for a coffee to go, if she had had a bad day or if something hadn't been going right. And unfortunately today was one of those days.  
  
She put on her favorite pair of sneakers and made her way over to Luke's. She slipped in to the diner unnoticed, although she didn't blend in with the rest of the crowd. But then again no one really did. Rory made her way over to the counter, hesitating for a brief second when she saw that Jess was there, but she continued anyway. After all, they weren't avoiding each other and she didn't have to worry about him saying anything, cause they didn't have anything to say to each other.  
  
Jess looked up when she placed her hands on the counter, not saying a word, remembering where talking lead to last time.  
  
''Hey,'' she almost whispered.  
  
He nodded, waiting for her order.  
  
''Can I have a coffee to go, please ?''  
  
Jess nodded, though he hadn't quite understood her except for the last couple of words. But she always had coffee, so he could clearly suspect what she had asked for. He poured her the coffee and set the paper cup down on the counter, watching her as she placed some money on that same counter. But instead of reaching for it, he placed his hands in his pockets and looked at her.  
  
''Are you okay ?''  
  
''Uhm.......yeah, I have to go.''  
  
Rory grabbed her coffee and headed back in to the crowd.  
  
Jess knew that she was trying to pretend that she was alright. He had been keeping an eye on her all day, from a distance. And he had seen her distant expression turn into a hurt one throughout the day. The cause wasn't that hard to find, though he didn't know all the details. At least they had exchanged a few words today. He removed his hands from his pockets and reached for the money, just as the door of the diner closed.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory finished her last bit of coffee, as she listening to the message her mom left on the answering machine, telling her that she would be home a little later, because of some unexpected staff meeting, called by none other than Michel. Lorelai even claimed that he only did it to bug her, since there was really nothing to 'meet' about.  
  
Rory erased the message and soon found herself going up to her mother's room. She couldn't help but smile when she saw that her mom hadn't cleaned up her clothes yet. She had just pushed them to one side of the bed, creating enough space for her to sleep at night. Rory shook her head and reached for a piece of her mom's clothing, a black skirt she had tried on for her date.  
  
For some reason she regretted not dressing up for the date, especially after Dean's comment about her looking normal. She was almost positive that Christy wouldn't look normal on any date. Rory felt guilty about her own jealousy, but it got only worse when she reached for another one of her mom's many skirts.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess groaned as he missed another shot, the result of his feelings, though he would never willingly admit it. He sighed and turned around to get his ball, but froze at the sight before him. Rory was intently looking at the ball she held between her hands, but the fact that she was here didn't surprise him. Nor did the fact that he didn't hear her. The thing that did catch his eye, was her appearance.  
  
For once she wasn't hiding underneath a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, this time she had managed to capture his attention with a knee-length black dress and strappy heels. Maybe it was indeed a simple choice in the eyes of people who were used dressing like this, but in Jess' eyes she looked anything but simple. She looked beautiful. A whistle escaped his lips, causing Rory to look up at him.  
  
''Here's your ball,'' she said, as she threw the basketball at him.  
  
Jess caught it without taking his eyes off of Rory. Rory lowered her eyes to her dress, before meeting his eyes again.  
  
''What are you looking at ?''  
  
''At you,'' Jess answered thoughtlessly.  
  
''Wh......why ?''  
  
Jess shook his head, wondering if she even looked in the mirror before she left. ''Because you're beautiful.''  
  
Rory smiled at Jess' words, though it didn't last long. Jess' reaction just proved that she should have dressed up on her date with Dean. Maybe then he would have appreciated her company. Tears appeared in her eyes as she thought of how foolish she was being. Didn't her mom herself tell her that appearance didn't matter, it shouldn't matter. But yet Dean declined her, because of just that.  
  
''Rory, are you okay ?'' Jess asked. It was the second time he had asked that same question today, but this time the concern was evident in his normally neutral voice.  
  
Rory lowered her eyes to her dress again, letting her fingers brush against the dark fabric. As a tear spilled on to her dress, she looked up again.  
  
''This was how I should have looked.''  
  
''I don't....................,'' Jess started, but stopped when Rory interrupted him.  
  
''You were right, about Dean.''  
  
Rory paused for a second, letting her eyes glide across Jess' face, looking for a sign of satisfaction. When she couldn't find any, she continued.  
  
''The date was.........it was horrible. We didn't talk. And.........the girl he was flirting with..............''  
  
But she didn't go on, and she didn't have to. Jess knew how her sentence was going to end. For a couple of seconds, he just stood there looking at her, wondering what he was supposed to do now, what she was expecting him to do. But after he figured that there were no right decisions, he took a couple of steps towards Rory and wrapped his free arm around her waist, swiftly pulling her toward him as he did.  
  
Rory tried to pull away, but when she realized that she was too later, she let Jess pull her towards him. His gesture reminded her so much of Dean's, though with Jess it didn't seem as awkward. She sobbed against his shirt, as she placed her hands flat on his chest, trying not to make it seem too sad and pathetic. After all it was just Dean.  
  
When her cries seemed to die out, he knew that he should be saying something to cheer her up. And when the perfect line could be tasted on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't help but smile himself. It would be a pretty comical scene, especially if she would decide to keep her heels on.  
  
''You wanna play a little one on one ? I'll let you win.........''  
  
Rory laughed, but didn't back away from him. She had been looking forward to playing basketball with him again, but he just had to give her a couple of more seconds.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I admite Jess was a little OOC in this last part, but he was sweet, right ? Luckily this isn't the last chapter yet. There is still a twist to come and some Lit interaction. Thanks for the kind reviews. :-) 


	11. Inner Smile

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) Happy Belated New Year!!! I hope everyone had fun, cause I sorta did. Anyway, school starts in two days (!), so this is the last update you're going to get until next week. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, cause I personally think that this is the best one so far. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory opened her eyes to a somber shade of black that reminded her of a starless night. But as she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized that she was lying on her bed, wearing a dress that was simply black. At first the confusion started to play its mind games, refusing her access to her memories. However, when she saw her heels sprawled lonely on the floor, she found the scantily evident string that triggered her memory.  
  
At first she could only remember a few certain images; the basketball court, Jess' hieroglyphic eyes, that denied her the entrance she so desperately wanted right at that specific moment. As she closed her eyes, the images got more vivid and hazily real. Soon she could feel her senses kicking in, making it seem as if she was reliving last night's event. She could hear Jess' few, but meaningful words brushing against her ears, before protectively wrapping around her in an unsurely matter. Rory had to admit that she liked how he had pulled her towards him, mimicking the meaning of his words. It hadn't seemed like a tender gesture at the moment, because of her hesitant feelings towards him, but right now.......it made her more nervous than she had ever been, making her uncertain about every word she had uttered to him. Especially about the way she refused to believe his harshly worded warning, that ended up being true.  
  
Rory opened her eyes again, because she got the urge to cry again, but she didn't let more than one tear spill, before realizing that crying over what had happened wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't turn back time. And if it miraculously could be done, she wouldn't have said yes to Dean's offer to go out on a date. After all history could be repeated, but not if she didn't make the same mistake again.  
  
She slowly got up out of bed and took the couple of steps to her mirror. She studied her reflection; her hair was messily framing her face, her dress was wrinkled, she had dried up mascara on her cheeks......... And still Rory smiled at herself. Jess had never once given her a weird look or called her normal. For he caught a glimpse of what she really was, and normal wasn't a big enough of a word.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory took a deep breath, before opening the door and stepping into Luke's diner. Luke's always made her feel comfortable and more confident of herself, probably because no one judged one and other in this diner. To the many eyes of Stars Hollow it didn't matter if you wore flannel shirts or a business suit. The truth was no one cared and it sometimes made Rory wonder why she was even concerned about other people's opinions. As long as she was accepted by the people that surrounded her, she would always wear an inner smile.  
  
She met her mom's worried, yet pleasant gaze, as she looked around the diner. When she found her mom, which wasn't that hard since there were only a few people scattered around the diner, she let her inner smile shine through on her face and walked over to Lorelai's table.  
  
''Hey mom,'' she said, as she sat down, dropping her bag on the floor as she did this.  
  
''Morning, sweets. So, did you get my note this morning.''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
''Good, cause I know that sometimes it's hard to find my notes, that's why I put this one on your bag. And I wrote with a neon colored pen this time, just in case,'' Lorelai said, as she took a sip of her coffee, making it seem as if she was casually conversing with her daughter, but Rory already knew the point that lay behind her mom's sentence.  
  
''I'm sorry I didn't come to Luke's last night.''  
  
''Why didn't you ?'' Lorelai asked, putting down her coffee and looking at Rory.  
  
''Homework.''  
  
''Homework ? Sweetie, have you ever heard of the saying liar liar pants on fire ? Unless you take it literally there's an actual point behind it,'' Lorelai calmly said.  
  
Rory lowered her eyes. ''I didn't come to Luke's, cause I was somewhere else.''  
  
''Well, of course I hadn't figured that out yet.''  
  
Just as Rory was about to start her sentence, footsteps that seemed so loud in this early morning, disturbed the daily morning routines around her and lead her attention towards the counter. She wasn't a least bit surprised when she found Jess' figure with her searching and curious eyes, wondering if he woke up as confused as she did this morning. Rory moved her eyes up to his face, but quickly retreated when she discovered his gaze resting upon hers. When she returned her attention to her mom, Lorelai had a suspicious gleam in her eyes.  
  
''What happened ?''  
  
Rory sighed. ''I lied about my date. It wasn't okay. I had a horrible time.''  
  
''I told you the arcade wasn't the place for a great-ish kinda date.''  
  
Rory shook her head. ''It wasn't that. I had fun the first hour with Mr. Ring Ring.''  
  
''Please tell me that that's a nickname you came up with for Dean,'' Lorelai interrupted.  
  
Rory faintly smiled. ''Mr. Ring Ring was the pinball machine I played with almost the entire night. See, Dean and I didn't spend any time together that night.''  
  
Lorelai let out a relieved sigh. ''Good, cause I was thinking about asking you that, but it didn't seem appropriate since it was your first date and all, but eventually I was going to bring it up. Which is now, but I didn't really bring it up, so I guess it doesn't count.''  
  
''We were on separate sides of the room the entire night,'' Rory continued. ''And then when it was time to go home I found him talking to this other girl.''  
  
''Rory..........''  
  
''And after he walked me home, he hugged me. Like I was his teddy bear or something.''  
  
Lorelai couldn't stop herself from softly laughing at her daughter's choice of words. ''His teddy bear ?''  
  
''Yeah, a big soft one that you only hug, because of that.''  
  
''That explains..........well nothing, cause I thought everything went fine between you and Dean. But what I'm curious about is that little look you and Jess just shared.''  
  
''That was.......I don't know. All I do know for sure is that last night, I put on one of your dresses and headed over to the basketball court.........,'' Rory started.  
  
''To impress him ?''  
  
''No.'' Rory shook her head. ''I was confused, cause after I saw Dean with that girl I thought he liked girls who dressed up better.''  
  
''So, you went to the basketball court to play basketball with Jess ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I don't really know why I went there, but it was.........nice.''  
  
Lorelai raised her eyebrow. ''You two didn't take the one on one thing literally, did you ?''  
  
Rory grimaced. ''Mom, of course not. He was just........really nice to me and after that we played basketball.''  
  
''You wore your sneakers underneath a dress ?''  
  
''I wore heels,'' Rory replied.  
  
''I'm surprised you didn't tip over or something.''  
  
Rory softly laughed, as the humor of the situation finally became clear to her. All of a sudden she stopped laughing, letting it fade quickly, as she listened to the pair of familiar footsteps as they came closer. As soon as the door of the diner closed behind him, she got up too.  
  
''I have to get to school too,'' she said, adding the last word to distract her mom's attention from the fact that she got up as soon as Jess left.  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''Are you sure you're okay ?''  
  
''Yeah, I'll see you later.''  
  
''Bye hon.''  
  
''Bye,'' Rory quickly said, before following Jess' footsteps and leaving the diner.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Once Rory was outside, she found herself easily catching up with Jess. It was as if he had sensed that she wanted to speak to him privately and Rory was glad that he seemed to read her so effortlessly. As she fell in pace with him, she glanced at him, noticing the cigarette that he held between his fingers, unlit. This was one of those things that reminded her of the fact that she would never figure him out completely. Every word he said, every look he gave her, weren't just random words or looks, every single one of them meant something. They all were a clue though she knew she would never want to unravel his mystery.  
  
Jess looked at his cigarette once more, before putting it back into his pocket, followed by his hands.  
  
''So, how are you ?'' he asked, without even so much as a warning, keeping his eyes straight forward.  
  
''I have an inner smile,'' Rory said thoughtlessly, remembering too late that it wasn't her mother she was talking too.  
  
Jess raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look at her. ''What ?''  
  
Rory softly smiled at his understandable confusion. ''I'm good.''  
  
Jess nodded, as he let his eyes wander over her face once more, before returning them to the school in front of them. Honestly, he hadn't thought about what happened last night at the basketball court once. He just brushed it off, pretending that it was nothing. That way he would be sure that he would be in control of a situation like this one.  
  
As they reached the school, Rory stopped walking. ''Jess ?''  
  
He turned around to look at her, ignoring a few guys that were calling his name.  
  
''Yeah ?''  
  
''I wanted to apologize and thank you for last night. Me showing up in a dress must have seemed weird and then I did the whole crying thing and..........''  
  
Jess shrugged. ''It's alright. Look, I have to go. Talk to you later, okay ?''  
  
He met her eyes, as he waited for her response. Rory smiled and nodded. ''Okay.''  
  
And with that they went their separate ways. He headed for the group of guys that had hollered his name earlier and she disappeared inside the building, thinking that maybe those guys weren't as bad as they seemed. Jess had ended up surprising her and having a different side to him, so why couldn't they.  
  
*~*~*  
  
On her way to the cafeteria, Rory caught herself feeling a pleasant kind of nervous. As if someone was softly brushing her stomach, tickling her. She smiled at someone she vaguely knew as she entered the cafeteria, but the person didn't smile back. They were too preoccupied with something else. As she let her gaze go around the diner, she saw that everyone's head was turned in the same direction. She instantly broke the weird daze she had been in ever since this morning and forced herself to focus on her surrounding, immediately hearing the screams that always accompanied a fight.  
  
''Rory !''  
  
Rory turned her head in the direction the voice had come from and saw Lane quickly coming her way.  
  
''Hey, what's going on ?''  
  
Lane shrugged. ''All I know is that there are two guys fighting, but I didn't get close enough to see their faces yet.''  
  
''Who do you think they are ?''  
  
Lane shrugged again. ''Don't know. Let's check it out.''  
  
Before Rory could say anything Lane was already pushing passed people to make her way to the front of the crowd. And Rory just sighed and followed, admitting to herself that she was a little curious. When she reached the front of the crowd, she couldn't believe her eyes. Right in front of her, Dean and Jess were fighting. And neither one of them seemed aware of her presence. As Jess returned Dean's punch, Rory automatically took a step forwards. Though she didn't like it when people fought, she normally never got in between, but this time was an exception.  
  
As she got closer, she got the chance to examine the damage they had done to each other. Luckily she couldn't spot anything except for a couple of cuts and bruises.  
  
''Dean,'' she said, purposely choosing to say his name instead of Jess'.  
  
Both Dean and Jess' head shot up to look at her. Rory didn't look at Jess though, she focused her faze upon Dean's hard expression.  
  
''Can we talk ?''  
  
Dean looked from Jess to Rory and sighed. He turned around without a word and headed for the exit. Rory followed, avoiding Jess' amazed eyes as she did this.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Dean crossed his arms, as Rory joined him in the hallway.  
  
''Before you say anything, he came up to me and punched me without giving me a reason,'' Dean said, keeping his eyes on the wall behind Rory.  
  
Rory wasn't surprised by his words, though she didn't know Jess that well she had expected him to do something like this. Though the reason for his actions remained unclear to her.  
  
''I'm sorry. I would have stopped him if I knew that he was going to start a fight during our lunch period.......... Are you okay ?''  
  
Dean brought his eyes down to Rory, as he nodded. ''Yeah, it was pretty innocent.''  
  
''Yeah, I can tell by the cuts and bruises.''  
  
Dean shrugged. ''He has them too.''  
  
''I saw...........,'' Rory said, feeling guilty for not going over to Jess to see how he was doing. ''Dean, we need to talk.''  
  
Dean nodded, as he ran one of his hands through his hair. ''I figured that. I think I also owe you an apology for ruining our date.''  
  
''Our date,'' Rory repeated his words.  
  
''You're really nice, but not exactly my type.''  
  
''And Christy is ?''  
  
Dean smiled and shook his head. ''That was bad judgement. She thought 'Lord of the Rings' was a jewelry store.''  
  
Rory softly laughed. ''Really ?''  
  
Dean nodded. ''Yeah..........I'm sorry. I would just like a girl who had more things in common with me........and who couldn't beat me in basketball.''  
  
Rory smiled, taking that as a compliment. After all, a guy who didn't appreciate her talents wasn't worth it anyway. And Dean was right, it was nice to have things in common with the person you dated. It made things just a little easier.....  
  
*~*~*  
  
After school Rory headed over to the diner, desperately needing a cup of coffee and a little bit of luck. As she saw down at the counter and ordered a cup of coffee, she marked the fact that Jess wasn't here. Before she could help herself, she opened her mouth, letting a question escape that she would find herself asking frequently in the near future.  
  
''Luke, is Jess upstairs ?''  
  
Luke nodded, as he poured her coffee. Rory looked at the curtain that hid the stairs from the customers in the diner and asked another soon to be normal question.  
  
''Would you mind if I went up there to talk to him ?''  
  
Luke looked up at Rory. ''You actually wanna talk to him ?''  
  
''Yeah, I promise I won't be long.''  
  
Luke shrugged. ''There's one door, you can't miss it.''  
  
''Thanks,'' Rory said, as she took the coffee and vanished behind the curtain.  
  
She made her way up the stairs, her footsteps sounding almost as loud as the beating of her heart. She took a deep breath, before knocking on the door of the apartment.  
  
''Do you need instructions on turning the knob ?!'' Jess' voice came from behind the door.  
  
Rory slowly opened the door and stepped into the apartment, quickly closing the door, stopping herself from turning around and leaving. Rory forced herself to walk over to Jess, who was sitting on the couch, with his back facing her.  
  
''Uhm........hey.''  
  
Jess slowly brought his eyes up. ''Rory, hey.''  
  
''I need to talk to you.''  
  
Jess nodded, closing his book and watching her as she carefully sat down next to him.  
  
''I wanted to apologize for what happened at school. You know, not asking if you were okay,'' she said, scanning his face with her eyes, relieved that he only had a cut in his lip. ''So, are you ?''  
  
Jess subconsciously licked his lips, before answering. ''I can handle a little pain.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''Still, I'm really sorry. I just had to talk to Dean..........about our date.''  
  
''And...............?''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I'm not his type......and neither his Christy,'' she said, a smile appearing on her face as she said the last part.  
  
Jess snorted. ''I don't think Christy's anybody's type, she though 'The Sun Also Rises' was an expression that we just randomly used in our English Literature class.''  
  
''At least I'm smarter than her.''  
  
''You know, I haven't known you for a long time, but I do know that you underestimate yourself often.''  
  
''That's called being modest,'' Rory said, as she looked around the apartment, letting her eyes linger on Jess' collection of books.  
  
''Yes, I have an impressive book collection.''  
  
Rory returned her eyes to Jess. ''And obviously you don't possess that quality.''  
  
''But I do possess some first editions.''  
  
''Really ?'' Rory asked, her eyes gleaming with interest and hunger.  
  
Jess nodded, as he opened his book again.  
  
''Jess, would you mind if I stayed here for a while ?''  
  
Jess smirked as he shook his head, knowing that she was already on her way to his bookcases. This was just another thing that they had in common.....  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) So........I'm pretty happy with this chapter, but maybe you guys have other opinions, so let me know. Thanks for the amazing reviews. I know I don't thank each person separately like some authors do, but I do appreciate every single review I get. So THANKS!!! :-) 


	12. Slippery Barriers

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) Another week has passed, so I think I took more than enough time to write. Anyway I'll safe the rest of the chitchat for at the end of this chapter. Don't forget to read it, cause it contains a semi important message. Hope ya don't think it's too......mushy.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory couldn't contain the shriek that had been tickling her vocal cords, forcing her to open her mouth and letting it reach the ears of the few people around her, who were quickly making their way home, as she and her mom made their way towards Luke's while the rain cascaded down on them and drowned out the rest of the world. Although she had to fight the urge to smile at the same time. Like some people loved the spring and the large variety of flowers that came with it, she loved this kind of stormy weather and all the rain that came pouring down with it. This was the kind of weather that made the rooms darker than they normally were, giving them a gloomy facade, as the wind haunted through Stars Hollow.  
  
But she had to admit that she was relieved when they closed the door of the diner behind them as they entered their sanctuary, which they retreated to daily. Especially on days like this, since her mom always became restless during this sort of weather. She couldn't seem to manage to sit still and she was always a couple of steps behind Rory wherever she went. Luckily for the both of them, there was Luke's. Rory smiled, as she took of her jeans jacket, revealing her damp shirt. Though she and her mom had a lot in common, she didn't even want to understand how someone could be afraid of a comfortably somber day like this.  
  
''You two are dripping,'' came Luke's rough voice from behind the counter, though he didn't mean it as a comment that should be taken seriously. Of course Lorelai always did, that was part of her charm.  
  
''That sounded so wrong. Tell me that didn't sound wrong,'' Lorelai commented, the last part meant for Rory.  
  
''In your twisted mind maybe.''  
  
''I'll take that as a compliment,'' Lorelai said, as she handed Rory her jacket, before heading over to the counter.  
  
Rory softly laughed at her mom's and Luke's usual banter. Her day wouldn't be the same without it. As she hung her mom's coat next to hers on the unstable coat rack, though she would never mention that to Luke, she spotted Jess out of the corner of her eyes. She immediately reached for her back pocket, hoping that the book she had borrowed from him wasn't drenched. She let out a silent sigh of relief when she ran her hands over the still dry cover of the paperback. She took the book out of her pocket and started for the counter, finally noticing the deck of cards that he was holding in his hands. When she finally thought she had him covered, he ended up surprising her once again. She was expecting him to be reading, since his shelves were filled with more books than their local library. But of course she should have figured that she would have been wrong about that, since she had only just figured out about his large book collection. Yesterday afternoon to be exact. She had gone through every single one of them, while Jess remained silent on the couch behind her, reading. The thing that she had seen in almost every book, on practically every page, were his notes. They were written crookedly in the margins. And though she wasn't a fan of writing in books, the notes had helped her understand the book better. And more importantly it gave her a look inside his mind.  
  
By the time she reached the counter, her mom had already managed to pry a cup of coffee away from Luke, though only her mom seemed to have that problem day in and day out.  
  
''Hey Luke,'' she greeted, as she sat down and forgetfully placed Jess' paperback on the counter in front of her.  
  
Luke nodded at her. ''Coffee ?''  
  
Rory wanted to say yes, but Luke didn't give her the chance to, as he placed a cup of black coffee in front of her. She pulled the sleeves of her shirt down, to cover up her hands with them and reached for the cup. As she lifted it up and brought it to her lips, she caught Jess looking at her. That small gesture caused her to lower her gaze shyly to her coffee, before taking a sip. As the warm liquid found its way down her throat, it gave her the few seconds she needed to calm her nerves and put the cup down without shaking hands.  
  
''Is that my book ?'' Jess asked, referring to the old looking copy in front of Rory.  
  
Rory's eyes briefly rested upon his book, before she looked up at him. ''Are those cards ?''  
  
''Aren't we the observant ones today.''  
  
Rory smiled and pushed the book in his direction. ''Thanks for lending it to me.''  
  
Jess shrugged, not looking at the book. Instead he focused his attention on the cards that he was now shuffling. ''It's not like I don't have any more books upstairs.'' A light smirk touched his face before he continued. ''So, what did you think of it ?''  
  
''It was.............acceptable.''  
  
''Acceptable ?'' Jess asked, as he raised an eyebrow.  
  
''Hey, the author is unknown and it's about love,'' Rory said, matter of factly, as she emphasized the last word. ''......one of the most common and unoriginal subjects to write about.''  
  
''Yeah, but you have to admit that the story itself is fairly well written.''  
  
''I'll admit that. Though there were some dreadful cliched parts in it talking about how love was blind etc, very unoriginal,'' Rory pointed out.  
  
Jess nodded. ''I agree now..........'' He stopped shuffling his deck of cards and held them out like a fan. ''........pick a card.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, but did take a card out of the displayed deck.  
  
''What is it ?''  
  
Rory looked down at her card. ''Aren't I supposed to ask that ?''  
  
''I'm still practicing on the whole guessing part, so I changed the rules a little,'' Jess explained.  
  
''It's the queen of.........clovers ?''  
  
''Luck will be on your side,'' Jess said, as he took the card from Rory.  
  
''That's it ? I pick a card and instead of guessing you quote something medieval as if I'm going off to battle.''  
  
''No, I just told you that luck will be on your side these upcoming days.''  
  
''That was so..................sweet,'' Rory hesitantly said.  
  
Jess cringed. ''Sweet ?''  
  
''Yep.''  
  
''Must be the weather.''  
  
''Yeah.........,'' Rory said, as she moved her gaze over to one of the windows.  
  
When she brought her eyes back to Jess, there was a secretive gleam in his eyes, and she understood what he was silently asking her. And it caused the butterflies in her stomach to flutter.  
  
''I didn't bring a jacket, well I did, my jeans jacket and even though jacket is in the name........it isn't the appropriate one to wear during............''  
  
Jess amusedly shook his head. ''I have an extra jacket.''  
  
They exchanged a small smile, before Rory got up. ''Mom, is it okay if me and Jess go outside for a while ?''  
  
Meanwhile Jess just got his ball from underneath the counter and headed for the coat rack.  
  
Luke jumped in, before Lorelai could say anything. ''Last time it was okay, because it was just a light drizzle, but........''  
  
''Light drizzle ?''  
  
Luke ignored Lorelai and finished his sentence, moving his gaze from Rory to Jess and back. ''.....but today it's pouring.''  
  
''Huh, and here I thought is was just a bigger drizzle,'' Jess said, as he put on his jacked and waited for Rory.  
  
''Is it okay mom ?''  
  
Lorelai nodded, quickly sharing a knowing look with her daughter. One that look wouldn't get. ''Sure, sweets. I'll just wrap you up in a big blanket when you get home and Luke will do the same for Jess.''  
  
Luke grimaced, which just made the two Gilmore Girls smile.  
  
''Thanks mom.''  
  
Rory hastily kissed her mom on her cheek and headed over to Jess, who threw a jacket at her as soon as she was close enough. Jess couldn't help but smile as he watched Rory put on his faded brown leather jacket. It was a little big, but since she wore baggy clothes most of the time, it didn't make her look any different.  
  
It was weird, seeing a girl wearing his jacket, he had to admit, but then again Rory wasn't just another girl. She didn't wear his jacket because she wanted to show off to others that she was with him, like some of his girlfriends had done, making him feel like a walking trophy. She was just wearing it, because it would protect her from the rain. Jess zipped up his jacket with his free hand, before opening the door. After she stepped outside, he followed.  
  
*~*~*  
  
''Jess, can I ask you something ?'' Rory asked, as she retrieved the ball from the ground once again.  
  
When she turned around, Jess was only a couple of steps away, closer than she remembered.  
  
''I can't assure you that'll answer,'' he answered quizzically.  
  
Rory studied his eyes as he said this, to her surprise they weren't clouded at all. No secrets were kept hidden, not in his answer anyway.  
  
''Where did you learn to play basketball ? I mean, I know you're from New York, so obviously I don't need to know that, but how old were you when you started playing ?''  
  
''Eleven,'' he answered, without thinking about it.  
  
Rory got a satisfied gleam in her eyes that she couldn't hide from Jess and even if she could, the smile on her face still gave her away.  
  
''What ?'' Jess asked.  
  
''I was younger when I discovered the game,'' she stated proudly.  
  
Jess smiled at her childish behavior, though there was a certain maturity to the way she said those last four words; I discovered the game. ''I figured that by the way you know your way around the court.''  
  
''Thank you.''  
  
Rory smiled again, only there was a slight difference to this one. Her smile was slightly crooked and......sweeter. Rory found his eyes with hers and nervously wiped a strand of hair away from her face, but not breaking eye contact until Jess moved closer towards her. Suddenly a grin broke through on her face, making the rain seem to disappear in Jess' eyes.  
  
''I think I'll take my rain check now,'' Rory said, her soft voice having an amused edge to it.  
  
She looked up at Jess, trying to see if he knew what she meant. It didn't take long for the recognition to flicker in his dark eyes.  
  
''Yeah, coffee it is. Besides the diner is much warmer.''  
  
''And more dry.''  
  
Rory ran her hand over her face, trying to stop the water from dripping down onto her clothes, but it was an useless action. As she removed her hand, Jess automatically laid his eyes upon her drenched lips, that were tempting him in his eyes.  
  
''What ?'' Rory asked, catching his gaze.  
  
Jess shrugged. ''Nothing.''  
  
Rory unsurely lowered her head, which gave Jess the momentary opportunity to lean in slightly and swiftly catch her lips with his. He noticed her shock as she quickly lifted her head a couple of inches, parting their lips, briefly, because Jess just took another step forward and lightly pressed his lips upon hers once more. A kiss, he hoped, that would make her feel more comfortable.  
  
As he let his lips rest against hers, he reached for her waist, letting one of his hands gently rest upon one of her hips. While he did this, he prayed that she wouldn't pull away, cause this was the move he had been waiting to make ever since he knew that Dean wasn't even an option for her anymore. How could he tell Rory that she wasn't his type. If the guy would have opened his eyes to look at what had been standing within his reach, he would have been mourning now over his tragic loss.  
  
Suddenly he could feel Rory responding to his touch, her lips started to carefully explore his and he fought the urge to smile, not wanting to ruin this moment between them. He could tell that she hadn't done something like this before, but he didn't care. He was just glad that Dean hadn't gotten the chance to share this with her, no matter how jealous it sounded.  
  
He wanted to be even closer to her, but the basketball Rory was holding in her hands was restraining him to do so. So, he removed his hand from his hips and reached for the ball with his hands. She let him take it out of her hands without resisting, but as soon as Jess dropped the ball on the ground, her eyes flew open and he knew that there was something wrong. Almost instantly he felt her body tense up and before he could reach for her hand, she had taken a couple of steps back and broke the closeness they were chained to earlier.  
  
''I'm sorry, I don't........''  
  
''It's okay,'' he said, not making an attempt to move towards her, knowing that it would only make her more panicked and would increase the confusion that was clearly visible in her moonlit eyes.  
  
''No, it's not. I shouldn't have. I.......I have to go.''  
  
She turned around and ran, choosing to ignore the way his eyes had hardened at her spilled words.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) If I would have gone with my normal plot, I would have written a totally different chapter than I did now, cause it would have been the last one. But besides the one you have witnessed in this chapter, I still have one more trick to reveal. If you want to see it, of course. :-) *Thanks again for the encouraging and inspiring reviews!* 


	13. Hide and sought

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! :-) I know I haven't updated in a while, but I had to study for some tests. I don't know if I aced them all, but I did ace my Math test!!! Which came as a total shock, since I'm not exactly a mathwhiz. Anyway, not the point, the point is that this is another chapter and that I hope it's to your satisfaction. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The ephemeral wall, that Rory had intuitively cast between her and the rest of the world, started to evanish as the sharply high ringing of her cell phone intruded her personal sentiments, causing her eyes to find its focus and herself to collide with the harsh serenity of the morning once more. She fell back into realism as she reached for her phone, which she always carried with her, just in case.  
  
''Hello ?'' she asked, in a dazed voice, influenced by the thoughts that were still trying to find their peace in her restless mind.  
  
''Why aren't you here ?''  
  
''Here ?'' Rory asked, immediately recognizing her mother's voice.  
  
''Here, at Luke's ?''  
  
''I'm on my way to school.''  
  
''Why ?''  
  
''Cause I have to get to school eventually and I figured that having an early start wouldn't hurt,'' Rory flawlessly explained, as she looked at the school, which she was approaching in a tedious speed.  
  
''If you have such an early start why don't your just turn around and stop by Luke's ?'' Lorelai asked, trying to put sense in such a meaningless sentence.  
  
''I can't, I'm already halfway there, so if I turn back it would be a waste of my time.''  
  
''Then just walk quickly and drop in for a quick coffee to go,'' Lorelai tried once more.  
  
''Nah, I'll think I'll just get some coffee at the cafeteria.....'' Rory took an almost unnoticeable pause, before continuing. ''....since I'm early and all.''  
  
''What's wrong, sweets ?''  
  
''Nothing,'' Rory answered, hearing the clear change in her mother's voice. ''Listen, I'm almost there and since cell phones aren't allowed I have to hang up.''  
  
''Did you tell them that it has a calculator ?''  
  
''And a clock,'' Rory added, with a small smile.  
  
''And they still didn't acknowledge the usefulness of it ?''  
  
''I might have to send a letter of complaint to the headmaster.''  
  
''I wouldn't have expected any less,'' Lorelai said.  
  
''Bye mom.''  
  
''Bye, sweets, have a good day.''  
  
Rory turned off her phone and slipped it into her back pocket for safe keeping, knowing that she would be able to reach her mom or Lane whenever she wanted. She headed up the steps as she was embraced by the haunting silence around her, knowing that no one would be at school already, except for three or four early birds who still had some papers to grade or reports to copy. Even the usual group of guys who was always crowding near the entrance, hadn't taken its place yet.  
  
Rory lowered her eyes as she climbed the last few steps and entered the main building. She heard her voice in her head, saying that she would never fall for one of their skillful tricks and yet now she was doubting if she did. Jess was one of them after all. That was one of her main concerns, she was afraid that he would lead her into his dark pool and tempt her to fall in and drown in his sometimes unfortunate behavior and choices. The other reason was less complicated and easier to understand, however she doubted she herself completely did.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory held her breath as Jess passed her. She had known that he was bound to come, since they had the first period together. But she never knew if he was coming or not. Ever since he had started hanging out with those loners, which had practically been from day one, he had been skipping some of his classes. Rory had never understood what the fun was of not coming to class. And she had often wondered what they did instead.  
  
And she had found out, when she had taken a seat next to one of the large windows. She had seen them, including Jess. They were standing underneath the three oak trees in front of the main entrance, smoking. The thing that had surprised her was the fact that Jess had been standing alone, away from the other guys. And he had his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him, as if he was thinking the same thing as her. What was the purpose of skipping class, what was he trying to say ? Was what he was doing right now so much more meaningful and entertaining ? For Rory the answer had immediately been clear, but it seemed as if he had never made up his mind. Until now.....to Rory's misfortune. Knowing that he would be sitting in the same classroom would only make her more nervous and confused than she already was.  
  
He passed her without saying a word, though his presence didn't need any vocal embellishment. As she patiently waited for him to enter the classroom, she started to rummage through her locker, just to have something to do with her hands, that were on the verge of losing control.  
  
Just a couple of seconds before the door closed, she made her way into the classroom, aware that everyone was watching her, waiting for her to sit down. And she knew his eyes were among them, she always knew when he looked at her. It was like an invisible brush of a hand or a telepathic whisper. She quickly sat down next to Lane, glad that this was one of the few classes they had together. Lane whispered a fast and barely audible greeting before the lesson started.  
  
While Rory was taking notes, a crumpled piece of paper suddenly appeared right in front of her. She reached for it and opened it, as silently as possible, placing it on her notes, to make it look unsuspicious. A small smile found its way on to her face when she read the simple question; what's wrong ? It was amazing how Lane could read people. Rory placed her pencil on her paper and before she knew it near ten minutes had passed and her handwriting covered almost the half of the sheet. She neatly folded it and passed it to Lane when the teacher had her back turned. While it took Rory ten minutes to write the note, it took Lane only a couple of seconds to read it.  
  
''Oh my God !''  
  
Their teacher instantly turned around only a few spilled seconds after those words had escaped Lane's lip, sliding of her tongue as easy as butter. And with her piercing gaze came at least a dozen more interest expressions, grateful for this interruption. Although Rory knew that all those eyes weren't meant for her, she still felt uncomfortable underneath their weight. But only Jess' seemed unbearable, which she had gotten a glimpse of out of the corner of her eye.  
  
''Anything wrong Mrs. Kim ?''  
  
Lane kept her eyes fixed on the wall behind the teacher, as she carefully slipped the note, she and Rory had exchanged, between her binder.  
  
''Uhm.......yes, I just saw a really big spider......right above the blackboard, which is on the other end of the room, so for me to notice the spider it had to be really big.''  
  
''A spider ?'' their teacher asked without a sign of amusement, while raising one of her neatly trimmed eyebrows.  
  
''Yes, see, I'm arachnophobic. I can't even be around stuffed spiders,'' Lane explained, without blinking once.  
  
''Uhuh, try to focus that imagination on your work.''  
  
Lane nodded, not denying the teacher' statement. ''I will.''  
  
Rory and Lane quickly exchanged a look. ''We have to talk during lunch.''  
  
Rory nodded and went back to her notes.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Although Rory had been anticipating for the bell to ring, the shrill and abrupt ringing still made her jump in her seat, causing her to drop her books on the floor. She sighed and grabbed her pencil, before it could fall from her desk. By the time she had grabbed her bag and was heading towards the door, the classroom had already emptied out.  
  
While she was trying to cram her books in her messenger style bag, she left the classroom. She went around the corner as she put her last book in her bag, almost running into Jess, who was leaning against one of the many rows of lockers. When she lifted her head, she knew that it was too late to pretend she hadn't seen him and take another route to her next class. Instead she took a couple of steps back and started to pull at the shoulder strap of her bag.  
  
''Jess,'' she said, as she forced herself to keep her eyes leveled with his.  
  
Jess fixed her with an emotionless stare, making it even harder for her. ''I'm surprised you even remembered my name.''  
  
''Good guess,'' Rory said softly, lowering her eyes to her bag again, as the guilt became painfully visible.  
  
''We need to talk.''  
  
Rory bit her lip, before looking up at him again. ''About what ?''  
  
Jess met her eyes with a neutral expression and nodded, as if he knew she was avoiding their confrontation. And the worst thing was that she wasn't even denying it, causing herself to become even more guilty and nervous within his gaze's reach. Luckily for her the bell rang, giving her the opportunity she had been waiting for all this time.  
  
''I have to get to class.''  
  
Jess nodded, but didn't make any attempt to move or say anything. And as he watched her walk away, he knew that in order for them to talk, he had to make her feel comfortable around him again.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess threw his cigarette on the floor and blew out the last of the smoke, his eyes fixed on the petite girl, who was standing in the middle of the court. He knew that she had been there for a while. She was hesitant at first, afraid that he might show up at the sound of her ball bouncing of the asphalt. But after a while she got bolder, dribbling her ball louder and longer, relieved at the fact that she was all by herself.  
  
Jess knew all of this by the way she was moving on the court, stopping every now and then to throw a glance in his direction, even though he knew she couldn't see him. But that didn't mean that she couldn't sense his presence, so when Rory heard footsteps approach her, there wasn't anything to surprise her. She assumed that he had been waiting for one of her undeliberate signs, giving her all the time she needed until then.  
  
Rory turned around and faced him, wiping her hair out of her face while she did this, preparing herself for everything, but not quite understanding the choice of his question.  
  
''You wanna play some one on one ?''  
  
Rory slowly nodded, meanwhile wondering if he was willing to forget their kiss ever happened.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess raised the ball above his head, preparing another one of his shots, but stopped when he saw Rory just standing a couple of feet away from him, not even making an attempt to block the upcoming shot. He lowered his arms and turned around.  
  
''What's wrong ?''  
  
He had a pretty clear idea of what was going through her mind right now, considering the small fact that she hardly blocked any of his shots, afraid to come to close. Though he had decided to forget about their recent kiss for a while, her current attitude changed his mind for him. He missed her competitive side.  
  
''........Nothing,'' Rory answered, still not moving from the spot she was standing.  
  
''You're acting different,'' Jess said, stating only what he had witnessed.  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I guess I'm just tired.''  
  
Jess kept his eyes on Rory while she said this, studying her facial featured that were partly covered by the nightly shadows. It was obviously clear that she was lying, all evidence pointed in no direction but that one. She was subtly avoiding his gaze and her voice was soft, almost soothing, like she wanted to reassure him that what she was telling him was true.  
  
''Then explain to me why you didn't block any of my shots. Not even the simple ones ?'' Jess asked, throwing the ball at her with a certain amount of force, though she easily caught it.  
  
''I'm tired, I told you.''  
  
''I think there's more to it.''  
  
Jess took a couple of steps towards her.  
  
''Well, there isn't so stop being paranoid,'' Rory quickly said, throwing the ball back at him, hoping that he wouldn't come any close. She was afraid of what he might do and what she might let happen.  
  
''I have to go home.''  
  
Rory turned around, forgetting about her ball, which Jess was still holding. All she could think about was him and it didn't get any better when she felt his fingers gently lock around her wrist, forcing her to turn around and look at him, since he was standing so close.  
  
''What's wrong, Rory ?''  
  
He darted his eyes over her face, before continuing. ''Is it about the kiss ?''  
  
Rory immediately lowered her eyes and pulled her arm free, not liking the fact that it gave Jess the control to pull her even closer if he wanted to.  
  
''I just don't know how to feel about it,'' Rory finally admitted. ''I mean we were sorta friends, but what are we now ?''  
  
''Sorta friends with advantages.'' Jess jokingly said, though the amusement didn't find its way onto his face.  
  
Rory shook head and took a step back. ''Friends can't stay friends when something like that happened.''  
  
Rory brought her eyes up to Jess' face, as she continued with what had been lingering on her lips for the past day.  
  
''I mean are we boyfriend girlfriend now........,'' Rory started, locking eyes with him.  
  
Jess had no choice to meet her honest gaze, not when those words just left her mouth. He never realized that she would think that far ahead.  
  
''........cause I don't know if I want that.''  
  
A short silence fell between them, as she took a deep breath, before going on, not aware of the damage she was causing.  
  
''I like being just friends with guys, especially you. I went on one date and it was a disaster.''  
  
''I'm not Dean.''  
  
Rory's expression softened at his truthful words, not missing the hard edges in his voice.  
  
''I know, but I don't want things to change between us,'' Rory said, denying the fact that she really did want things to change between them.  
  
''They won't,'' Jess reassuringly said, not wanting to scare her off. He knew she was on the verge of running. And although he was trying to remain patient and understanding with her, he knew that they were already starting to fade, quicker than he would have thought.  
  
''They already did.''  
  
And with those last words, Rory turned around, wanting desperately to retreat to the safety of her lonesome room.  
  
''Rory.......''  
  
She bit her lip and turned around.  
  
''Your ball,'' he said bitterly, throwing the ball at her.  
  
Rory caught it, not daring to meet his eyes, which had unwillingly darkened, because of her behavior and his lack of patience. Instead she mumbled an useless apology and left.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Yes, I know, Rory is acting like a pathetic little girl and she's making the problem bigger than it actually is, but there is a reason after every chapter, so just wait and see, cause the game is quite over yet. Thanks for the reviews, which encouraged me to make the story just a little longer that I originally planned it to be, and I hope you guys are still reading. :-) 


	14. Green Eyed Love

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! :-) I'm officially 16 now, which honestly doesn't feel any different than 15, but if I had turned 17 it would have felt different than 15. I'm making now sense, I know, so just ignore me and go read. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory sighed, relieved that her last period for today had finally reached the end of its tormenting road. Lately every minute seemed to stretch itself into a couple more, not granting her the satisfaction of escaping this classroom, where Jess was only sitting a couple of seats away from her. Apparently he had decided that actually participating in school was a lot more informative than hanging outside, smoking. Though she applauded him for his random decision, she still felt a little threatened by his behavior these passed days. She had caught him openly staring at her, like he was silently telling her that though he wasn't verbally announcing his presence to her, he was still here and wouldn't just disappear when she chose to close her eyes.  
  
Every time she saw him in the hallway, she thought about how she behaved towards him, losing her courage to approach him. Promising herself that she would have the courage to do it the next time she ran into him, since she knew that she wouldn't catch him alone that often. He had started spending even more time with his so called friends, and this time, he didn't do anything when they all looked her way and made hurtful comments. She met his glance during one of these often reoccurring times, hoping to find the knot of guilt, that would be resting at the pit off his stomach, but instead she saw nothing but the dark pools of his evident uncaring eyes, which made her angry and sad at the same time. How could he be mad at her, when she had told him that she liked hanging out with him, more than she would ever admit. She practically confessed to him that she was scared and that she didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations, because she had never been in it before. Not even with Dean. On the other hand, she knew that it had to be frustrating for him, because he was probably used to getting a much different response than she had given him.  
  
Rory collected her stuff and disappeared out of the classroom, thinking that no one would even notice. A quick glance was thrown her way, as Jess threw his stuff into his bag. At first he had stolen glances at her when he had thought she wasn't looking, not wanting to burden her with his existence even more. But after the first day, he had gotten sick of her childish behavior and frustrating fear. Now he was temporarily morphing into one of those guys she hated. He patiently waited for her to leave the classroom, before heading towards the door, taking a rolled up paperback out off his back-pocket.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory let a defeated smile cross paths with her lips, when she saw Lane standing by her locker. ''Hey.''  
  
Lane nodded, the cheerful smile that had been clinging to her lips faltering. ''Things are still tense between Jess and you ?''  
  
Rory shrugged, as she opened up her locker. ''How can things be tense when we're not even talking to each other anymore ?''  
  
''Uhm.......I'm not questioning your intelligence here, but isn't the no talking thing the way you sense that things are different between you two ? Therefor tense ?''  
  
Rory stopped going through her locker long enough to shoot Lane a look.  
  
''Okay, so I was doubting your observing skills,'' Lane admitted. ''But I was just..........''  
  
''I know, trying to make your point.''  
  
''Yep, looking out for you. So, things aren't even a tiny bit better ?'' Lane asked, always trying to look for the smallest hint of color, which would eventually lead her to a rainbow.  
  
Rory sighed. ''He stopped staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking.''  
  
''Well, that's good.''  
  
''Yeah, cause now he's just openly staring at me. Much better,'' Rory said, sounding sadder than she meant to.  
  
''That boy has really gotten to you, hasn't he ?''  
  
Rory shook her head. ''I just don't like being in fights with people.''  
  
She was partly telling the truth. It was as if she had truly lost one of her best friends. When really she only knew Jess a couple of weeks. But she knew that there had been something between them ever since they met. A certain connection. And the thing that she really hated was the face that she was letting him get to her.  
  
''Yeah, I know,'' Lane said, while putting her arm around Rory's shoulders as a comforting gesture. ''You two will get over this.''  
  
''Whatever you say.''  
  
''No seriously, before you know it you two will be playing baske........,'' Lane said, stopping mid-sentence, her eyes caught by something distracting. Rory followed her gaze and noticed the scene that was starting to unfold only a couple of feet away from where they were standing.  
  
''Jess! Hey, Jess! ''  
  
Jess looked up from his book, not hiding the expression of bored annoyance on his face. His eyes immediately found the girl that voice belonged to. She seemed vaguely familiar to him, though he couldn't taste her name on his lips just yet. And he doubted that he wanted to, since the most people he had met weren't worth getting to know. Not even their name. But when he saw Rory's broken expression out of the corner of his eyes, he knew that he had discovered a way to show her that he wasn't going to wait for her to sort her feelings out forever. So, he did a double take and waited for the girl to reach him, taking in her delicate figure and long strands of golden hair as she headed his way. She was definitely someone you wouldn't just forget to notice.  
  
''Hey, thanks for waiting for me. I'm Michelle,'' she said, once she had reached him. ''I introduced myself to you during lunch, well my friends actually did, but I wanted to apologize for that. They aren't the most subtle people around.''  
  
''I was actually glad that they introduced you to me,'' Jess automatically responded, remembering one of his old lines.  
  
''You're kidding ? Cause that was what I was thinking too.''  
  
Jess saw the seductive looking smile on her face, making it obvious to him that she was indeed flirting. He shot her a sly smirk. ''Guess we were thinking the same thing.''  
  
''It sure seems so. Anyway, I noticed that during classes you don't actually participate, but that you read instead. Why ?''  
  
''I'm afraid that I won't be able to give you a satisfying answer,'' Jess answered, not even caring if she was truly interested or not.  
  
''Why not ?''  
  
''Cause it would probably take too long.''  
  
''Well, just for the record, I've got time,'' Michelle hinted.  
  
''Oh yeah ?''  
  
Michelle nodded and twirled a piece of hair around her finger, slightly tilting her head as she did this. It was a coy gesture, one that didn't make her look shy or sweet, but quite the opposite.  
  
''Do you still have any more classes ?''  
  
''Yeah, but I would much rather spend time with you,'' Michelle flirted.  
  
Jess nodded and headed for the school's exit, stuffing his book in his pocket. Michelle followed him, like a stray dog.  
  
''Jerk,'' Lane murmured, before looking at her best friend. ''You okay ?''  
  
Rory bit her lip and shook her head, watching both Jess and Michelle disappear through the doors, before burying her head on Lane's shoulder. ''This is the worst day I have ever experienced.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory closed her door and turned around catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, before heading over to her bed. Compared to Michelle she was really a nobody. Before her head even reached her pillow, her eyes found the blue streak of sky that was visible through her window. Normally she would spend the rest of the afternoon at the basketball court, but since she never knew if Jess would be there or not, she hadn't played ball for the last few days. It was pathetic that she was scared of him, of the way his eyes would narrow when he saw her and the intensity that could be seen in them. Rory sighed, feeling restless, because of the conclusion her mind was close to coming to. And after a couple of more minutes, the decision had been made.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Luke didn't ask any questions, when she had told him that she needed to talk to Jess. He had just nodded in the direction of the stairs without saying anything. Now that Rory was standing in front of their apartment, she was losing her confidence, desperately clinging to it as it was slipping through her fingers.  
  
She knocked on the door, but got no response. It was then that she got the urge to turn back, cause no one could say that she hadn't tried, but instead she knocked on the door again. Louder this time.  
  
This time she did hear footsteps approach the door and she saw his figure through the glass. When the door opened, it revealed a tousled looking Jess. At first she couldn't detect the reason of his unbuttoned shirt and messed up air. But when she spotted the lipstick at the corner of his lips, it became painfully clear to her.  
  
''Jess, who's that ?''  
  
Before the sentence was even finished, Michelle appeared in Rory's range of sight, giving her the opportunity to notice her smudged lipstick and partly undone shirt.  
  
''A friend,'' Jess said over his shoulder, before looking at Rory once more. ''What do you want ?''  
  
Rory was surprised by the harshness of his voice, not really understanding why he had to be so hurtful towards her.  
  
''Nothing,'' she softly said, regretting her decision to come here. ''I'm sorry.''  
  
Those were the last words Rory uttered, before turning around and heading down the stairs as fast as she could.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory headed straight for the bridge, not willing to risk the chance of running into her mom at home. Though tears weren't flowing, the hurt was definitely there. Just the fact that Jess took a girl he hardly knew home with him made her feel more invidious than she ever did. What made Michelle so special ? What made her stand out from all those other girls ? And although she wanted to hate Michelle, she couldn't find any legitimate reasons, besides the fact that she had apparently captured Jess' heart.  
  
She was on the verge of crying, but forbid herself to let even one tear spill, as she heard those too familiar footsteps step onto the bridge, making it shift underneath their weight. As she felt him sit down next to her, she knew that she had to be the first to say something, before he could hurt her more than he had already done.  
  
''So, that's what it's going to be like ?'' Rory asked, already knowing that this hadn't been a good choice of words, since the amount of comebacks were endless.  
  
''You wanted to be friends,'' Jess pointed out, ignoring the fragileness of her voice. ''And since friends just occasionally hang, I can date whomever I want.''  
  
''She's your girlfriend ?'' Rory asked, as cracks were starting to appear in her voice.  
  
Jess shrugged, focusing his gaze on the water which lay underneath the bridge, purposely pretending as if he hadn't noticed the state she was in.  
  
''Not yet, but I'm working on it.''  
  
Rory nodded and started to get up, but Jess's arm flew upwards and his fingers locked around her arm. He pulled her back down. ''What ? Tell me why your upset ?''  
  
Though it sounded as if he was begging her to tell him how she was feeling, there was nothing pleasing in the tone which held his voice.  
  
''I'm not upset,'' Rory whispered, as she lowered her eyes.  
  
Jess tightened his grip. ''Liar.'' He was slowly forcing her to break. Daring her to cry, get mad or even yell at him. All he wanted was to hear from her that she was jealous, no matter how unfair that seemed. He had been patient with her for as long as he could. And today his patience had become too thin to stand on anymore. He wanted to know what was going on inside her head and what emotions were hidden behind the blue drapes of her eyes.  
  
''Fine,'' Rory said, giving in to his demand. She pulled her arm free and met his eyes. ''You wanna know why I'm upset ? It's because I don't like Michelle and I can't even tell you why. I don't even know if she's nice or not. All I know is that ever since I saw you two together I have had this weird feeling inside of me that I can't place.''  
  
''Jealousy ?'' Jess offered.  
  
''What ?''  
  
''You're jealous,'' Jess stated.  
  
''No, I mean, why ? We're just friends, right ?''  
  
Although Rory's imploring words were tempting him, he didn't answer. That was all she needed to know. Rory bit her lip and blinked away her first tear, as she got up and started to head for the other end of the bridge. She was so caught up in fighting her tears, that she didn't hear him get up.  
  
''Rory......,'' Jess said, making her turn around. ''Are you okay ?''  
  
She found his eyes, before calmly responding. ''I don't know. You're so frustrating. I don't know what or how to feel when I'm around you.''  
  
Jess moved closer, taking in every word. When he was close enough to touch her, he grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug, reassuring her that she didn't have to worry anymore.  
  
When Rory felt the fabric of his shirt against her cheek, she couldn't help but smile.  
  
''Jess, I really like you.''  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know a bit touchy-feely, mushy, whatever........, but at least they're together, right ? Anyway, I think there will be one more chapter and then this story will be finito. Thanks for the reviews, once again!!! :-) 


	15. Baby Steps

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. (Kahlil Gibran) No indulging or adjusting needs to be done to make something that is already perfect, perfect. :-) Now, don't tell me that this didn't make your day just a little bit better. (I'm not talking about this chapter. Hope you like it!!! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
A sigh of malcontent glissaded against the edges of Jess' lips, pressuring them with its ethereal burden, until they were obligated to shift, allowing his sigh to slip out into the open, when he saw Michelle's outline out of the corners of his eyes. Although his sigh got caught up between the variety of lines of conversations around him, remaining obscure to her delicate ears, which seemed overindulged with the array of silver rings which were hanging from both of her ears, the edges of his eyes were glimmering with dissatisfaction.  
  
He apperceived that she wasn't going to let him walk away after his little forgetful behaviour last night, but he never saw her as the type of girl that would want an actual explanation. Albeit it hadn't even been close to the margins of fairness, he had apprehended her personality to exist of nothing but self centricalness and superficiality. Leaving nothing else for his curiosity to discover and leaving him to look at nothing but her appealing exterior. He would like to believe that his eyes didn't only detect the beauty that was skin-deep. And after his atrocity, he knew that he didn't deserve the pure and uncut gems, although he had held one within the palm of his hand only last night.  
  
He graphically remembered every word that escaped the sweet prison of Rory's lips, because they had been playing in his mind like a broken record, repeating the same part over and over. He could still feel the strands of her hair resting upon his fingertips and the way her smile was reflected through her assiduous yet cautious touch. Feather light her fingers seemed, as they rested against the fabric of his shirt, not daring to move until he attentively took her hand in his and placed it around his neck, giving it the illusion as if they were dancing.  
  
He understood that he had to take things slow with her, read every line twice, instead of quickly flipping through the pages. He had contained a soft chuckle as she clumsily placed her other hand around his neck too, looking up at him, as if she was trying to figure out if she could trust him or not. Although not everyone would have showed the same patience and self-control that he had, he knew that it would eventually be more than worth it. They didn't ended this bewitching moment with a kiss to match, but the smile Rory left him with, satisfied him from the bone down to the core.  
  
Of course Michelle didn't fit into this perfect picture, so Jess had left Michelle at the apartment, while he went over to the bridge, telling her one of his many lies which he had stored in his mind. And even after Rory had left, he had stayed at the bridge, smoking almost half a package of cigarette and reading one of his broken down novels, which he always carried with him. That was why he always went to second hand book-stores. New ones weren't appreciated by him. He wanted to feel the frailness of the aged pages underneath the tips of his fingers when he read. And if the book tapped into his self-conscious, finding a fragment of his childhood memory to chew at, he would think about why the book was getting to him and write the answer in the margins, if he could find a suitable one.  
  
As Jess approached Michelle, her facial features became clear to him, revealing her both the offended expression, which she carried in her eyes, and her impatient posture. Her arms were defensively crossed and her eyes lost all its allure when they narrowed. Her foot was also rhythmically tapping the floor underneath her, giving him a headache. Frankly he didn't know what he was thinking, taking her home with him yesterday.  
  
''Michelle,'' Jess said, nodding at her, as he stopped only inches away from her. ''Any reason why you decided to drop by my locker ?''  
  
''I think you know why I'm here.''  
  
''Fill me in anyway, just so I know we're on the same page.''  
  
''Does last afternoon ring a bell ?'' Michelle asked, slightly offended by his remark.  
  
Jess shrugged, knowing that he was being cruel to her. ''The Fast and The Furious was on last afternoon. Not exactly a big wow for me, since I'm not really into the whole racing-in-the-streets-thing. People could get hurt.''  
  
Michelle sighed, visibly annoyed by is ignorance. ''Don't pretend as if you don't have a clue about what I'm talking about. We were in the middle of a hot make-out session and then all of a sudden you're gone. And I just wanted some kind of explanation for your behaviour, cause obviously it can't be me.''  
  
Jess raised an eyebrow at her words, but decided against his usual sarcasm for once. ''You're right, it wasn't you.''  
  
''That's what I said,'' Michelle said, not trying to contain the satisfaction that had been lying upon her lips for these passed minutes.  
  
''I won't go into any details, but let's just say that I'm scared of committing myself to just one person. Trust issues.''  
  
''Ah, I didn't know. God, now I feel like such a fool.''  
  
''It's okay.''  
  
''Are you sure, cause if you.............''  
  
''I know where to find you,'' Jess lied.  
  
Michelle nodded and uncrossed her arms, so she could reach out her hand. ''No hard feelings then ?''  
  
Jess held back a smirk, as he shook her hand. ''No hard feelings.''  
  
''Good, well, the bell's going to ring any minute, so I better head for class. I'll see you around ?'' Michelle asked, as she started to back away from his locker, finally giving him the opportunity to open it, if he wanted to.  
  
At the beginning of the year he had put all his books in his locker for safe keeping, knowing that they would just be extra weight if he wasn't planning on attending his classes in the first place. Well, he had planned on attending his classes when he first got here, wanting to start with a clean slate, but it had only took him a few days to fall back into his old routine. Now he was juggling with the fact of actually going to his classes for a change, knowing that it would give him a much brighter and easier future, no matter how cliched it sounded.  
  
''Sure,'' Jess answered, opening his locker and blindly reaching for one of his books.  
  
Just because he had decided to attend his classes, didn't mean that he had to lose his rebellious touch immediately and come off as a geek. Although his opinion was a bit harsh, he actually admired the persistence of those who worked hard for their grades.  
  
Jess closed his locker and turned around, noticing the pair of friendly eyes that were gazing at him from across the hallway. Jess wondered how long she had been standing there. He didn't recall catching her presence earlier, which he normally did. He could sense when people were looking at him, although Rory seemed to be an exception. Just as he was going to acknowledge her sudden company, the bell rang, causing a comprehending smile to grace her pleasant features.  
  
Jess shrugged and pointed at his books, letting her know that he probably should get to class. Rory nodded, briefly meeting his eyes, before heading off to her own class.  
  
*~*~*  
  
During her lunch period, Rory retreated into the unostentatious library. At a table in the back of the library, hidden from everyone's sight by large bookcases that were filled with subjects like psychology and philosophy, Rory sat down. Just enough light was allowed to slip through the pages of the books and around the corners of the bookcases to make the room a little brighter than gloomy.  
  
A book lay open in front of Rory, when Lane sat down across from her at the table. And although her eyes were staring at the pages in front of her, the concentration that Rory was so well-known for was missing. Lane reached for Rory's book and started to pull it towards her. When the book was already gone from underneath both her eyes and fingers, Rory looked up at Lane, finally realising that she wasn't alone.  
  
''Lane, hey. What are you doing here ?''  
  
Lane shrugged, as she closed the book and handed it to Rory. ''I just had the urge to go to the library. Did you know that they only have three books on the history of rock music ?''  
  
Rory smiled. ''Stars Hollow High isn't your typical school of rock.''  
  
''That calls for a big and fat duh! I mean, three books on rock music and about thirty on some rare flower.''  
  
Rory chuckled. ''It definitely makes you wonder about their priorities.''  
  
''So, any reason why you've decided to spend your lunch in here instead of in the cafeteria, where we usually eat ? Not that this isn't nice, but I would just feel weird about eating in a library. I mean, is that even allowed, cause............''  
  
''It's because of Jess,'' Rory interrupted.  
  
''Oh, you're avoiding him......''  
  
Rory shook her head. ''I'm not avoiding him, well not really, I just needed some time to think.''  
  
''I don't think that thinking about Jess and Michelle will help you with the getting over him part, even though you two have never officially dated, but that's just the small print we're talking about.''  
  
''I don't wanna get over him,'' Rory said.  
  
''Since when is torturing yourself in ?''  
  
Rory smiled again. ''We made up.''  
  
''When did this happen ?''  
  
''Yesterday. I sorta admitted that I was jealous of him and Michelle and then he, well, he hugged me,'' Rory told Lane.  
  
''He hugged you ?''  
  
Rory nodded. ''Why ?''  
  
Lane shrugged. ''He doesn't seem like the kiss-and-make-up-kinda-guy. Of course I don't really know him, so who am I to judge. Man, I have really been spending too much time with you.''  
  
''I'm sure your cd collection feels neglected.''  
  
''Not as neglected as your book collection has been feeling these passed few days.''  
  
''Lane,'' Rory warned, not wanting to catch the attention of the few loners which were scattered around the library. But soon they forced to leave the library, because of the playful banter they had rolled into.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess' eyes immediately found Rory, as she walked down the steps in a hasty pace, wanting to get away from the misleading exterior of the building. Just like the friendly masks that most of the students wore, with its inviting coating, it tricked you into believing that the core would be accepting of every individual. Taking them for who they were, looking passed the alternative clothes and black nail polish. Unfortunately there were only a few individuals who lived their school life by this rule.  
  
Jess threw his cigarette on the ground without thinking about it, stepping on it, as he walked faster than usual, to catch up with the oblivious angel faced girl. His footsteps remained unnoticed, even when he was right behind her, close enough to touch her hair if he wanted. But instead he placed his hands in his pockets for safe keeping and completely caught up with her.  
  
''Hey.''  
  
Rory slowly lifted her head and tilted it slightly to look at him through her lost strands of hair, which were streaking her face. Truthfully, she hadn't been able in getting him out of her subconscious mind. The silence she had drew back in during several periods of this day, had soon been disturbed by the pleasant memories which were lurking in the corners of her mind 24/7. She flashed him an appreciating smile, before greeting him with a soft hey.  
  
They continued walking for a couple of more minutes, before Jess decided to get straight to the other end of the line, aware that the diner was getting closer and closer, giving them less and less time to waste.  
  
''So, I didn't see you at lunch.''  
  
Rory bit her lip, returning her eyes to the ground. ''I wasn't avoiding you, Jess. I think we've gotten over that state in our relationship.''  
  
The words left her words so fluently, that she didn't have any time to take them back. Instead she was forced to live through the fact of knowing that her cheeks were slowly turning into a bright shade of red and that she had no way of hiding them from Jess.  
  
''I didn't mean that. We don't actually have a relationship, although I guess friendship could be called a relationship, if we were friends that is. Not that we are, but............''  
  
Before Rory could continue her nervous rambling, Jess took her hand in his, causing Rory to stop walking and look at him. He could see the wonder in her graspable eyes. A smirk graced his face, when he saw that the redness in her cheeks was yet increasing, making her seem so unsure of herself.  
  
''I assume you want to talk about where we stand in our relationship ?'' Jess asked, a smirk still tainting his face, his eyes matching it for once.  
  
Rory nodded, as a grin broke through her features. ''Yeah.''  
  
''Rory !''  
  
Rory recognised her mom's voice, but took several more seconds, before looking away from Jess' chocolate eyes and slowly pulling her hand back, giving Jess the opportunity to gently graze every part of it with his fingers, before finally returning his hand to its former resting place.  
  
He nodded in the direction of her mom. ''You better go.''  
  
Rory nodded and turned around and headed over to her mom, thinking that all those unpleasant occurrences between them had been proven to be more than worth it.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Rory set foot on the basketball court that night, she wasn't surprised to find that Jess was already there. But what did grasp her attention, was the fact that he was sitting on one of the few benches, which surrounded the court, reading. Of course she knew that he had a passion for reading to match her own interest, but she had never seen him come to the basketball court just to read. His left foot was resting upon his basket ball, making sure to keep it in place.  
  
''Hey,'' Rory said, as she took a couple of more steps towards him, still feeling a little unsure.  
  
Though she was hoping for some sign of acknowledgement, she didn't get one. Jess seemed to caught up in his book to notice her. Even when she continued approaching him, until she was standing right beside him, he didn't look up from his piece of fiction.  
  
''Jess,'' Rory tried again.  
  
A wrinkle appeared in Jess' forehead, as he tried to hold on to his earlier focus. But when his eyes lost sight of the line he had been reading, he was forced to give in and look up at the person who distracted him.  
  
''Sorry if I interrupted you,'' Rory said, their eyes locking.  
  
''Rory, how long have you.............''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''Not more than a few minutes, probably even less. I can leave if you want.''  
  
''No, I can read any time,'' Jess said, as he closed his book.  
  
''So,'' Rory started, digging her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. ''I was wondering if you wanted to play some one on one ?''  
  
He nodded, placing his book beside him on the bench and reached down to grab his ball. He spun it around a few times, before lifting himself off of the bench, placing both him and Rory in an intimate position. One that Jess carefully took advantage off.  
  
''Are you still having doubts about where we stand ?''  
  
Rory was taken back by his question, which was noticeable in voice, that was close to trembling. ''I........I mean.............what are we ? Are you going to kiss me when we're around each other ? I've been worried about those stupid things. And nervous........''  
  
''There's no need to be nervous,'' Jess reassured her. ''I know that you haven't exactly been in this position before and that's cool. And although I really wanna kiss you right now, I won't.''  
  
''But what if I want to ?'' Rory whispered, lowering her eyes as she did this. ''How will I be able to know if you want me to and..............'''  
  
''Rory,'' Jess softly, but urgently said, as he lowered his eyes to her level.  
  
But Rory didn't look up, she was too embarrassed by the words that had just left her mouth. She just felt really lost right now. She didn't know what to do, how to act or what was expected from her, though she knew that nothing would be expected from her. But when she felt Jess' fingers against her skin, it seemed natural to lean in and move her face closer towards his with every second that passed. She parted her lips and closed her eyes, as her lips came close to crashing against his. Rory didn't even notice how Jess quickly studied her facial expression, before meeting her lips. His was slower than she had wanted it, but she knew that he had more experience and that she should probably trust him. He was only protecting her from herself, making sure she didn't forget taking baby steps first. After all, those baby steps would eventually lead to the large and daring leaps, which would cause for the crowd to go wild.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Well, that was the last chapter. I know I always end my stories just as things are starting to run smoothly between Rory and Jess, but I just lose interest when things are close to getting perfect between them. I enjoy creating problems and coming up with obstacles to throw their way, so another chapter is really not happening.  
  
*I am thinking about posting another Lit ? Are you guys down with that or..........are you getting sick of my story lines and descriptions ? Be honest!!!*  
  
THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!!! Your reviews were really appreciated, for their honesty and inspiration. Without your words writing would definitely lose some of its appeal, not even close to all though, cause writing is just fun to do and a way for me to express myself. And bla bla bla, I know. Thank you!!! :-) 


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